cultural diversity and drama education within an
TRANSCRIPT
Cultural diversity and drama education within an
Australian context
Patrizia Giovanna Ferrara
ORCID.org/0000-0002-3956-5709
Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of
Master of Education
January 2019
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
The University of Melbourne
2
Abstract
Across Australia and internationally, the number of young people from diverse
cultural backgrounds entering schools has increased. This has led to a greater
complexity in pedagogy, curriculum and student populations (Banks, 2011). This
thesis entitled Cultural diversity and drama education within an Australian
context is a qualitative research project that methodologically involved a
reflective practitioner study (Schön, 1983). The researcher developed and taught
an educational unit of work entitled Cultural diversity and drama. The unit of
work comprised eight lessons and was taught to a junior secondary drama class at
a coeducational independent1 school. Central to this study were the experiences of
the culturally diverse drama students engaging in the drama curriculum. Through
the reflective practitioner’s own culturally diverse perspective, this study was also
an examination of the drama teacher. As part of the reflective practitioner
research, a combination of data was collected that included observation of drama
classes, reflective practitioner journal, student journals, field notes, written
documents and interviews with drama staff and students.
The key findings of this study revealed that the drama students identified and
discussed their own ethnic identities. It was found that trust facilitated the
advancement of the unit of work between the reflective practitioner, drama
students and drama teacher. The study revealed that embodied learning about
cultural diversity enabled the drama students to generate their own contemporary
meanings of themselves, others and of Australia. In this study it was found that
stories about refugees can effectively engage drama students to understand and
enact people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
1 Independent or private schools are part of the Australian schooling system and governed
on an individual basis. They can be affiliated with a particular religion or philosophy.
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Declaration
This is to certify that:
(i) This thesis comprises only my original work towards the degree of Master of
Education.
(ii) Due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all material used.
(iii) This thesis is fewer than 22,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, maps,
bibliographies and appendices.
Signed:
4
Acknowledgements
I gratefully acknowledge my principal supervisor Dr. Richard Sallis. Thank you
for your expert advice and encouragement. Your insight and support has guided
me with clarity and commitment.
I thank and respect the general and specific input of my supervisor, Dr. Christine
Sinclair. Thank you to advisory committee chair, Associate Professor Russell
Cross for your support. From the very beginning, my sincere gratitude to
Associate Professor Kate Donelan.
Thank you to the school, drama students and drama teacher who allowed me to
conduct this research project. Your participation is gratefully appreciated.
Thank you to my family and friends for your support. To my late parents Liliana
and Gaetano, who have inspired me and forever will. My sincere appreciation to
Dino for your belief in me and my children Richard and Gianna for your love and
encouragement.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title 1
Abstract 2
Declaration 3
Acknowledgements 4
Table of Contents 5
CHAPTER 1: Introduction 9
1.1. The research project 9
1.2. My positioning in this study 9
1.3. The need for this study 11
1.4. Key concepts in this study 13
1.5. The genesis of the unit of work 16
1.6. The structure of this thesis 18
CHAPTER 2: Literature Review 21
2.1. Introduction 21
2.2. Complexity and growing awareness in cultural diversity 21
2.3. Education and cultural diversity a close relationship 23
2.4. The integration of cultural diversity in Australian schools 24
2.5. Culturally diverse young people in Australia 25
2.6. Pedagogy in multicultural classrooms 26
2.7. Intercultural understanding in the Australian curriculum 28
2.8. Culturally diverse discourse in drama education 31
2.9. Conclusion 37
CHAPTER 3: Methodology 39
3.1. Introduction 39
3.2. Qualitative research 39
3.3. The reflective practitioner 39
3.4. Selection of the research site 40
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3.5. The research site – Corner College 41
3.6. The researched cohort 42
3.7. Ethics in the study 43
3.8. Data collection 44
3.9. Data analysis 48
3.10. Conclusion 49
CHAPTER 4: Discussion 51
4.1. Introduction 51
4.2. Cultural Diversity and drama – an overview of the unit of work 51
4.3. What’s in a name, What’s in my name? 53
4.4. Exploring cultural diversity and drama education 57
4.5. Migration – an imaged world 64
4.6. Pedagogical approaches to cultural diversity 69
4.7. Ethnic identities in drama education 77
4.8. Conclusion 80
CHAPTER 5: Findings and Conclusion 81
5.1. Introduction 81
5.2. Diverse ethnic identities 81
5.3. Trust in the drama classroom 82
5.4. Embodied learning about cultural diversity 83
5.5. Stories from around the world 84
5.6. Revisiting the central research question 85
5.7. Recommendations for further research and limitations 86
5.8. Concluding remarks 87
BIBLIOGRAPGHY 89
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APPENDICES 105
Appendix 1 Parent/Student: plain language statement 105
Appendix 2 Parent/Student: consent form 108
Appendix 3 Focus group interview sample questions 110
Appendix 4 Drama teacher interview sample questions 111
Appendix 5 Unit of Work: Cultural Diversity and drama 112
Appendix 6 Excerpt of A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011) 117
Appendix 7 Excerpt of The Little Refugee (Do, 2011) 118
List of Figures and Tables
Figures Content
Figure 1 Australian Curriculum: Intercultural Understanding 30
Figure 2 Year 7 report card 55
Figure 3 Outline of Australia 59
Figure 4 Drawing of stick figures 60
Figure 5 Brainstorm around the words cultural diversity 62
Figure 6 Illustration of five hands 62
Figure 7 Nothing to do with Drama words 63
Table Content
Table 1 Overview of data generated and collected 45
Table 2 Vignette of the drama classroom 72
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CHAPTER ONE – Introduction
1.1. The research project
With more than 300 languages spoken, over 100 religions and more than 300
different ancestries, Australia is one of the most culturally diverse societies in the
world (Jakubowicz and Ho, 2013). The 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics
reports that Australia is a culturally diverse nation that has a higher proportion of
overseas-born people (26%) than the United States (14%), Canada (22%), New
Zealand (23%) and the United Kingdom (13%), making Australia rich in cultural
diversity. In the field of drama education, Donelan (2004) contends that
“Australian drama educators work in heterogeneous schools and communities that
reflect the impact of postcolonial migration, displacement and globalisation” (p.
15).
This thesis is about cultural diversity and drama education and is set in an
Australian secondary school. This project is based on a unit of work entitled
Cultural diversity and drama, where I planned and taught eight drama lessons.
The unit of work was developed by myself, informed by the literature and my
own understandings and experiences as a drama teacher. This thesis investigates
the following central research question:
How can a unit of work on cultural diversity enhance understandings and
awareness about drama students from culturally diverse backgrounds in a junior
secondary drama class?
1.2. My positioning in this study
The following positions reveal my motivations and interests in this study. They
include a personal, artistic, professional and researcher position. In this order, I
illuminate some thoughts from each stance.
My grandparents originate from Cyprus and Greece. During the early 1950s, my
parents traversed seas to disembark in Australia. My father departed from
Messina, Italy. My mother from Port Said, Egypt. I was born in Melbourne,
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Australia. The multilingual, multifaith and multicultural experiences encultured in
me shaped a complex hybrid identity, an identity that continues to be questioned,
challenged, stereotyped, rejected and accepted by me and others. Thus, my
pluralistic experiences inform and influence my writing and practice as a teacher,
performer and researcher.
Before becoming a secondary school drama teacher, I studied and trained in
theatre performance. I applied my craft as an actor and performed in several plays.
In 1997, I wrote, developed and performed a solo performance for young people
entitled Dual Identity that was inspired and informed by my culturally diverse
background. The play was performed as Theatre for Young People (TYP), a field
of practice in the performance sector (Gattenhof, 2008). For more than a year, I
toured the play to rural and metropolitan secondary schools in Victoria2,
Australia.
As an experienced educator, my methods in teaching have been positioned in the
fields of drama education and humanities. Specifically, the “intersections and
collisions” between drama education and cultural diversity have long been my
interests (Grady, 2000, p. 3). For more than 20 years, I have taught in secondary
schools – junior to senior years (12–18 year-olds) – with culturally diverse student
populations. In 2001, I briefly exited the school setting to take up a position as
Education Coordinator at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne, Australia. This
involved teaching, developing and managing educational programs and resources
for primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors, as well as for government
agencies. The education programs and resources addressed issues regarding
immigration, multiculturalism, cultural diversity, languages and Australian
history. I was in this role for one year before returning to teaching drama and
humanities at a coeducational independent secondary school, known for its
culturally diverse values and its ethos of the Greek culture and language. While
teaching at this school, I was an active member of the state drama teachers’
2 Victoria is a state in south-eastern Australia and its capital city is Melbourne.
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association, Drama Victoria. I served on the Drama Victoria committee from 2001
to 2006 and was involved in drama conferences, professional development and
the journal Mask. In my role as committee member, I liaised with Drama
Australia, the national association for drama educators and in 2005 wrote the
Drama Australia Equity and Diversity Guidelines policy section Cultural and
Linguistic Diversity. In this document I stated that “the presence of young people
from such a wealth of cultural backgrounds presents a unique and empowering
educational environment” (2005, p. 13).
In 2000, I embarked on postgraduate studies in arts education and the cross-
cultural fields. I studied major theories and practices in drama education, together
with subjects in cross-cultural communication and cultural diversity. Additionally,
I studied a range of qualitative research methodologies. Through action research
and reflective practitioner research, I discovered that it was possible to draw on
my experiences culturally, artistically, professionally and reflectively. I
considered these to be complementary and a way to communicate my ideas about
drama education and cultural diversity.
1.3. The need for this study
The connections between cultural diversity and education are increasing.
UNESCO (2009) suggests that a growing awareness of the linkages between
cultural diversity and education occurred due to developing multicultural
societies. Thus, “educational systems are faced with new challenges that require
the development of more flexible, appropriate and inclusive forms of education”
(UNESCO, 2009, p. 95). Cultural diversity theorists, Banks (2016), Mansouri
(2017) and Rizvi (2011) have written widely about the complexity and growing
awareness between multicultural societies, young people and education. Rizvi
(2011) states that “as our communities become increasingly diverse, educational
institutions are required to rethink their policies to better represent the
demographic make-up” (p. 180).
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In Australia, drama education practitioners, Carter (2010), Donelan (2005) and
Kelman (2009) have presented engaging studies about the relationship between
interculturalism, drama education and social meaning. Literature that discusses
cultural diversity in the context of drama education points to a need for the drama
curriculum to be a “powerful site for developing multicultural literacy and
intercultural understanding” (Donelan, 2004, p. 15). International drama scholars
Ackroyd and Pilkington (1997), Gallagher (2011), Garcia (1997), Grady (2000),
Nicholson (2000), Rivière (2006) and Saldaña (1995) have also explored
pluralism, ethnicity and globalisation in drama education.
Throughout my years of teaching, I noticed that when I entered the drama
classroom, I walked into a space that resonated with diverse languages,
ethnicities, religions and multicultural lived experiences. This inspired and
motivated me to think about my own culturally diverse background and the
pluralistic identities of the drama students that I have taught. My teaching
approach was to develop drama units of work that offered a learning experience
whereby drama students could dialogue, engage, construct and perform their own
and others’ pluralistic perspectives. I aimed for the drama classroom to be open to
respect and inclusive of all culturally diverse backgrounds. This study concerns
cultural diversity and educational drama. There are few research projects that
discuss specifically a unit of work about cultural diversity, and even fewer in the
drama field. The need for this study is that it seeks to explore and understand the
experiences of culturally diverse students in a drama classroom. It aims to
investigate and illuminate my experiences as an Australian drama teacher and
researcher with a pluralistic cultural identity. This study is different to many of
the previous studies, as it focuses on a unit of work about cultural diversity in the
drama classroom. I wanted to embark on this project to gain understanding and
develop contemporary meaning from Australian drama students of their
experiences regarding cultural diversity in an educational drama context.
Furthermore, I wanted to pursue this project to seek understanding and contribute
my personal and professional culturally diverse experiences as a drama teacher
and researcher in Australia.
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1.4. Key concepts in this study
The following concepts are significant to my research. I provide a brief
explanation and understanding of these concepts as they are developed through
my study. In the literature review, I expand on these definitions and discuss them
in more detail.
Cultural Diversity
The concept of cultural diversity is central to my research. It is considered to be
complex and at times contested (Jupp, 2001). Cultural diversity is closely linked
to other concepts; for instance, multiculturalism, interculturalism, cultural and
linguistic diversity (CALD), globalisation and transnationalism. Different writers
have different understandings of what cultural diversity is. According to Ang,
Brand, Noble and Wilding (2002) cultural diversity is defined by the “social
presence of many different cultural and ethnic groups across society as a whole …
of a heterogeneity of cultural practices and values” (p. 19). For Smolicz (cited in
Jupp, 2001) cultural diversity means “the coexistence in the same country of a
number of ethnic groups, with their different cultural and/or racial characteristics”
(p. 769). For the purpose of this study, when I use the concept of cultural diversity
I intend to reference the following definition. Cultural diversity means:
The common heritage of humanity. Culture takes diverse forms across
time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality
of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind
(UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2002, p. 4).
The plurality of identities in this study refers to all culturally diverse backgrounds.
For instance, in this study when I discuss the concept of cultural diversity it refers
to Indigenous, Australian born, migrants and refugees. This allows for discussion
regarding cultural diversity to remain fluid and not fixed, as cultural descriptors
can be expressed in a number of ways; for example, Chinese-Australian, Italian-
Australian, Anglo-Australian, Aboriginal, Chinese/Hong Kong, Australian-
Lebanese, to name a few. For this study, cultural diversity includes all ancestries
regardless of various hyphenations and cultural descriptors.
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Multiculturalism
According to Smolicz and Secombe (2005) Australia, after the Second World
War, experienced massive immigration of Europeans, followed two decades later
by Lebanese, Vietnamese, South Americans, and later by Bosnians and Timorese
and many other groups from Asia, Africa, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Gaita (2011) states that Australian culture in the late 1960s “opened to voices that
spoke from roots in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere” (p. 2). Thus, in
Australia, multiculturalism emerged as a policy in the early 1970s, “driven by a
social justice agenda aimed at redressing immigrant disadvantage”
(Soutphommasane, 2009, p. 77). Smolicz and Secombe (2005) state that
multiculturalism in Australia “recognises the reality of cultural differences,
exemplified by the fact that Australians are not all of one ancestry or all of the
same religion … there is a growing recognition of the presence of the Indigenous
inhabitants and the increase of Australians … particularly from Asian
backgrounds” (p. 212).
Interculturalism
According to scholarly literature the concept of interculturalism “means different
things to different actors” (Mansouri and Arber, 2017, p. 30). For Donelan (2004)
interculturalism “has become a ubiquitous concept and has accrued particular
meanings and associations” (p. 20). Mansouri (2017) argues that despite “a recent
explosion in the academic and policy literature on all matters ‘interculturalism’,
there remains a lack of conceptual clarity around what the term itself actually
means” (p. 15). Alred, Bryam and Fleming (2003) explain that interculturalism
means “the awareness of experiencing otherness and the ability to analyse the
experience and act upon the insights of self and other which the analysis brings”
(p. 4). In the UNESCO Guidelines on Intercultural Education, interculturalism is
“a dynamic concept” and defined as “the existence and equitable interaction of
diverse cultures and the possibility of generating shared cultural expressions
through dialogue and mutual respect” (2006, p. 17). For this study, an
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intercultural understanding is conceptualised through an Australian educational
framework as follows:
Intercultural understanding encourages students to make connections
between their own worlds and the worlds of others, to build on shared
interests and commonalities, and to negotiate or mediate difference. It
develops students’ abilities to communicate and empathise with others and
to analyse intercultural experiences critically. It offers opportunities for
them to consider their own beliefs and attitudes in a new light, and so gain
insight into themselves and others (Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority, ACARA, Intercultural Understanding, 2018).
For this study, the meaning of interculturalism is also underpinned by UNESCO
policy statements and guidelines; for instance, Intercultural Competences:
Conceptual and Operational Framework (2013), Education for Intercultural
Understanding (2010) and Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural
Dialogue (2009).
Drama Education
The following meanings of drama education inform this study:
Drama is an art form accessible to young people. In education, it is a
mode of learning that challenges and supports students to make meaning
of their world and enables them to express and communicate ideas in the
artform (Drama Makes Meaning, Drama Australia, 2015, p. 1).
Drama education … invites students not only to engage with the dramatic
narratives of others, but also to find ways to communicate their own ideas.
In drama, intellectual and emotional involvement, with the narratives of
others is integral to the learning (Nicholson, 2000, p. 2).
The elements of drama education involve the ability to “suspend our disbelief and
bend time and space to create a place for exploratory interactions, dialogues and
representations out of which new thoughts, ideas and ways of looking at/seeing
the world may emerge” (Ewing, 2015, p. 141). The spontaneous and “live
element” is central to drama education (Fleming, 2012, p. 103). O’Neill (2006)
attests that “drama has the power to involve us, to touch our imaginations, and to
enlarge our sense of self” (p. vii). Hatton (2004) suggests that “the dramas of the
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classroom in fact feed the development of students’ life narratives” (p. 110). In
Drama and Curriculum: A Giant at the Door, O’Toole, Stinson and Moore
(2009) investigate drama curriculum in Australia and explain that “drama has
achieved at least a notional full place among the standard subjects offered within
school curriculum, through all the years of schooling” (p. 24). In Australia,
Stinson and Saunders (2016) note that in drama:
The content in the curriculum is deliberately left open, with no
prescription of specific texts or dramatic forms and styles. Thus, the
planned and enacted curriculum in schools is very much in the hands of
teachers … to create courses of study and units of work that are
appropriate for their school context and responsive to student needs and
interests (p. 98).
According to O’Toole and O’Mara (2007) there are four “paradigms of purpose”
in drama education: cognitive/procedural – gaining knowledge and skills in
drama; expressive/developmental – growing through drama; social/pedagogical –
learning through drama; and functional – learning what people do in drama (p.
204 – authors’ italics). For Sinclair (2017) the complexity in teaching the arts
“relates to the teacher’s capacity to manage the dynamic and multiple dialogues of
the classroom” (p. 75). Sinclair (2017) affirms that “the dialogic encounters relate
to exchanges between the teacher and the students, student to student, student and
content, and an internal dialogue between student as learner and student as artist”
(p. 75). O’Neill (2006) states that drama educators have varying pedagogies in the
drama classroom and “this difference is determined not just by what we know, but
who we are and where we have come from” (p. xiii). In Wales’ (2009) extensive
research investigating the lives of drama educators, she reveals that “a drama
facilitator or teacher can manipulate a drama activity or class by empowering the
students to open up their ideas, thoughts and feelings” (p. 276).
1.5. The genesis of the unit of work
For this research project, the creation and development of the unit of work
Cultural diversity and drama evolved from the interrelated fields of cultural
diversity and drama education. I will not describe each lesson of the unit of work
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in detail; instead, I will discuss the influences that informed the drama unit. The
full set of lesson plans can be located in Appendix 5. I created the unit of work,
comprised of eight drama lessons, based on literature and the influences by the
work of drama practitioners; for instance, Boal (1992), Donelan (2005), Garcia
(1997), Grady (2000), Heathcote and Bolton (1995), Kelman (2009), Nicholson
(2000), O’Neill (1995), O’Toole and Dunn (2002), Rivière (2006), Saldaña
(1995), Taylor (2000) and Winston (1998). The pedagogical and learning aim for
the unit of work was to introduce, explore and understand the topic of cultural
diversity by “making (creating, forming, pretending, directing, designing) drama;
sharing (performing, presenting, acting, showing) drama; and observing
(watching, reflecting, responding, critiquing) drama” (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002,
p. 3 – authors’ emphasis).
In addition, my own experience as a drama educator who has taught in culturally
diverse schools, along with my interests, collection of multicultural resources and
pluralistic experiences shaped and developed the unit of work. The influences and
inspiration on me to create this drama unit emerged from my personal and
professional motivations. For instance, being born in Australia to parents who
migrated in the 1950s, my Australian primary and secondary school years (from
four to 17 years of age) contained mixed experiences: being happy, making
friends, being stereotyped, being called derogatory names, speaking English as an
additional language, instances of truancy and of not feeling like I belonged.
Looking back, I reflect on why my teachers, schools and curriculum failed to
address the culturally diverse identities in the classroom.
My personal narrative is similar to those described by Smolicz and Secombe
(2005) as being “personal case histories of immigrants or their children [who]
recall discrimination experienced in schools … from the past assimilationist era”
(p. 212). I also recollect that my schooling did not include the study and
discussion of Indigenous Australians. I took it upon myself to learn about
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Yet, it concerned me
and still does, why I was never taught or encouraged to learn about the First
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Australians; rather, the curriculum focus was on learning about the histories and
geographies of other countries and cultures. For this study, the unit of work aimed
to invite and open up the narratives, voices, feelings and dialogues of drama
students from culturally diverse backgrounds. I sought to encourage the students
to contribute their own meaning and understandings about Australia as a
culturally diverse country and its Indigenous significance.
1.6. The structure of this thesis
This thesis includes five chapters as follows:
Chapter One, provides an overview of the research project and introduces the unit
of work applied in this study. It then presents the central research question and my
positioning in the study. It also explains the need for this study and defines to the
reader key concepts that underpin this research project.
Chapter Two, consists of a literature review and positions the study in the
scholarly fields of cultural diversity and drama education. I then link cultural
diversity to the field of education with some focus on Australian education, young
people, pedagogy and curriculum. An overview of drama education is interrelated
to the field of cultural diversity.
Chapter Three, introduces the study’s research methodology and design. It details
the qualitative approach applied and describes a reflective practitioner researcher.
I then explain the selection of the research site, the participants, ethics, data
collection and data analysis.
Chapter Four, presents the discussion of the emergent themes and outlines the unit
of work and its contributions. I then highlight key experiences of the culturally
diverse drama students and examine my position as a reflective practitioner
researcher and teacher.
Chapter Five, concerns the findings and conclusion of the study. I weave relevant
literature together with significant data analysis. Then, I present key questions
generated from the study that can be explored for future research. In this final
chapter, I revisit the central research question and substantiate the findings of this
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study amid existing literature. I then offer recommendations for future studies and
address the limitations of my study. I conclude my thesis with a personal
reflection of my research project.
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CHAPTER TWO - Literature Review
2.1. Introduction
The purpose of this literature review is to present a context for my study, position
the study within the scholarly field and establish the contributions it will
endeavour to make. Located in the key question of this study are two broad fields
of discourse and practice linked to cultural diversity and drama education. For the
scope of this study, I have chosen literature that has a direct relevance to the
Australian context. This review focuses on literature that considers the growing
awareness and complexity in the field of cultural diversity. Furthermore, it seeks
to explain Australia’s commitment to this topic. In the contexts of young people,
pedagogy and curriculum, the literature review examines cultural diversity
through international, national and local studies. The review surveys literature that
connects cultural diversity with drama education. Studies informed by
interculturalism in drama education are identified. The review then investigates
the development and teaching of units of work regarding cultural diversity in
educational drama.
2.2. Complexity and growing awareness in cultural diversity
Increasing awareness of cultural diversity points to globalisation, human mobility
and advances in information and communication technologies (Mansouri, 2017).
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization World Report entitled Investing in Cultural Diversity and
Intercultural Dialogue, cultural diversity is “complex” (UNESCO, 2009, p. 4). In
support of this, Mansouri (2017) explains that in our “increasingly interconnected
and interdependent world, multicultural societies are exhibiting new and complex
forms of diversity that are creating new opportunities, as well as anxieties” (p.
13).
Studies that chart cultural diversity in Australia are found in scholarly literature,
including for example (Ang, Brand, Noble and Wilding, 2002; Jupp, 2001;
Kalantzis and Cope, 2000; Mansouri, 2015; Rizvi, 1986; Smolicz and Secombe,
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2005). Furthermore, Australian governments, both federal and state, have
produced various documents that address cultural diversity (Koleth, 2010). For
example; Multicultural Australia: United in Diversity (2003), A New Agenda for
Multicultural Australia (1999), National Agenda for a Multicultural Australia
(1989) and the Galbally Report (1978). Recent literature includes Multicultural
Australia – United, Strong, Successful (2017) that describes Australia as:
The most successful multicultural society in the world, uniting a multitude
of cultures, experiences, beliefs, and traditions … of more than 300
different ancestries – from the First Australians to the newest arrivals …
our nation is enriched by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the
oldest surviving culture on the planet, and the millions of people who have
chosen to make a new life here” (p. 7).
The state government of Victoria has produced literature regarding cultural
diversity; for example, Victorian Government Report in Multicultural Affairs
2016-2017 (2018), Victoria’s Advantage: Unity Diversity Opportunity (2014) and
All of Us: Victoria’s Multicultural Policy (2008). Recent literature entitled
Victorian. And proud of it (2017) states that “diversity enriches us all” yet
stresses, that “right now, some Victorians feel uncomfortable by the pace of our
changing world” (pp. 10–11). Additionally, the state government of Victoria has
underpinned principles of multiculturalism in legislation; for example, in the
Multicultural Victoria Act 2011, The Charter of Human Rights and
Responsibilities Act 2006 and the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001. These
documents reflect a commitment by scholars and governments to acknowledge
cultural diversity, thus indicating the significance of this subject. However, along
with advocacy aims, visions and legislation, Australia, as Roose and Possamai
(2015) suggest “has faced considerable challenges over the past decade” in terms
of multiculturalism (p. 91). For example, a special issue in the Journal of
Intercultural Studies (2017, Vol. 38, No. 3) addressed concerns regarding racism,
intercultural relations and multiculturalism in Australia (Johns, Noble and Harris,
2017).
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2.3. Education and cultural diversity a close relationship
Located in the interdisciplinary fields that link cultural diversity and education are
studies regarding, for example, language policy (Lo Bianco, 1995), social justice
(Keddie, 2014), multicultural education (Banks, 2016), culturally responsive
teaching (Gay, 2010a) and culturally diverse student populations (Nieto and Bode,
2018). Banks (2011) who is widely regarded in the fields of multicultural
education in the United States and globally suggests that:
Never before in the history of the world has the movement of diverse
racial, cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups within and across
nation-states been as numerous and rapid or raised such complex and
difficult questions about citizenship, human rights, democracy, and
education” (p. 243).
These complexities, as Banks (2011) argues, are evident in the following studies.
For instance, in a study by Schacher, Noach, Van de Vijer and Eckstein (2016)
that involved adolescent immigrants in German schools, it was revealed that
“schools are often ill-prepared and overwhelmed by the cultural diversity of their
student populations” (p. 1175). Likewise, a study by Armillei (2015) in Italy,
found that with an increase of migrants to Italy, educational policies and practices
were reviewed. Thus, in 1995, Italy introduced the concept of “intercultural
education” (Armillei, 2015, p. 136).
In a study by Pagani, Robustelli and Martinelli (2011) in Italy investigating
cultural diversity in schools with students aged 9 to 18, it was found that school
represents an excellent opportunity for positively addressing and valuing cultural
diversity and for extending the beneficial effects of positive contacts with
culturally diverse individuals (p. 338). Pagani, Robustelli and Martinelli (2011)
further found that the data revealed teachers sometimes encouraged immigrant
students to talk in the classroom about their experiences as immigrants.
Pagani, Robustelli and Martinelli (2011) identified that other students became
interested in the immigrant stories, and concluded that this interest had an
affective component and a cognitive component and these two components
boosted each other.
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However, a study by Zembylas (2012) in Cyprus examining how school
emotional spaces are racialised and ethnicised through primary and secondary
school-teachers and students, found there were feelings of resentment against
migrants, minority groups and others. Thus, in the context of culturally diverse
classrooms in education, UNESCO (2009) recommends that teachers “become
aware of and embrace cultural diversity … to help learners to develop their
capacities, which are themselves culturally rooted” (p. 97). These studies reveal
an increasing body of knowledge regarding culturally diverse student populations
in schools and demonstrates a growing discussion concerning teaching practices
and curriculum in the context of cultural diversity.
2.4. The integration of cultural diversity in Australian schools
Since the late 1970s, Australian state and territory school education systems have
put in place a range of policies, programs and parts of the curriculum that
specifically address cultural diversity (Chodkiewicz and Burridge, 2013).
According to Jakubowicz (2009), “Australia’s cultural diversity has played an
integral role in the formulation and implementation of Australia’s education
system” (p. 2). In a contemporary context, Casinader (2016) explains that there
has been an increase of acknowledgement within Australian systems and schools
about the need to recognise the growing cultural diversity of their student
populations (p. 257–258). In an Australian study that examined multicultural
education policies in Australia, Price (2012) explains that “Australia is in a
continual phase of multicultural and diversity education development and will
continue to be so for a long time to come” (p. 79). An increase in literature
(Forrest, Lean and Dunn, 2016; Halse, 2017; Priest, Perry, Ferdinand, Paradies
and Kelaher, 2014) draws attention to the importance of race relations and
culturally diverse young people, specifically in Australian schools.
The state government of Victoria has produced various policies regarding cultural
diversity in education. For example, more than 20 years ago the Multicultural
Policy for Victorian Schools (1997) affirmed commitment to “cultural
inclusiveness, and to the notions of equality, equity, choice and access” (p. 4).
25
Furthermore, it proposed that “the development of an education system in which
awareness and appreciation of cultural and linguistic pluralism become accepted”
(1997, p. 7). In 2009, the Education for Global and Multicultural Citizenship: A
Strategy for Victorian Government Schools 2009–2013, introduced concepts of
“Multicultural citizenship” and “Global citizenship” as a renewed vision in
Victorian schools (p. 4). Similarly, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational
Goals for Young Australians (2008) suggests that Australian schools are located
in “a democratic, equitable and just society … that is prosperous, cohesive and
culturally diverse, and that values Australia’s Indigenous cultures as a key part of
the nation’s history, present and future” (pp. 4–5). In the context of Indigenous
education in Australia, there are government guidelines that address Indigenous
education; for example, Australian Directions in Indigenous Education 2005–
2008. Recent literature includes Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016–2026,
that notes “Victoria will be a state where the rich and thriving culture, knowledge
and experience of our First Nations peoples are celebrated by all” (2016, p. 6).
These documents reflect a commitment by the Victorian government to address
cultural diversity in education and indicate that Indigenous education is beginning
to form part of this commitment.
2.5. Culturally diverse young people in Australia
According to Harris (2015) young people are the most culturally diverse group in
Australia. She argues that young people are “the inheritors of the hard-fought
‘recognition and rights’ multicultural politics of their parents’ generation, they
have also come of age in a time of global and national political debates about
tighter regulation of immigration, border security and citizenship” (p. 155). In
Australia, studies concerning culturally diverse young people and migrant youth
are developing (Butler, 2016; Harris and Heron, 2017; Jakubowicz, Collins, Reid
and Chafic, 2014; Keddie, 2012; Mansouri and Mikola, 2014; Markus, 2017;
Purdie and Craven, 2006). For example, in a study that involved culturally diverse
youth in the multicultural suburbs of five Australian capital cities (Adelaide,
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney) Harris (2015) found that questions about
belonging are “germane to the experiences of young people of immigrant or
26
refugee background who have grown up in Australia in the past 10–15 years” (p.
155). Harris (2015) concluded that:
Young people position themselves at the forefront of the shaping of
flexible and multiple conceptualizations of national belonging, which is
the legacy of Australian multiculturalism and testament to its success in
the everyday spaces of local diverse communities (p. 165).
In a study by Uptin, Wright and Harwood (2013) that involved 12 former refugee
youths and their experiences in Australian high schools, it was revealed that
schools are often the first point of contact for young refugees resettling in
Australia (p. 125). The data collected included one-on-one semistructured
interviews. Uptin, Wright and Harwood (2013) found that the stories by the young
former refugees revealed that entering high school was one of the more significant
and confronting times for them. The data further revealed that the young former
refugees discussed their difference in two ways: “the colour of their skin
(blackness) and having an accent” (2013, p. 129). One of the participants in the
study, named Gabriella, described her difference as “a black dot on a white paper”
and further revealed how much she was confronted by the reactions to her skin
colour in her new home (Uptin, Wright and Harwood, 2013, p. 129). Uptin,
Wright and Harwood’s (2013) concluding remarks affirm that the “stories told by
young people show how schools are not seeing or are unconcerned by the
discriminatory and racist behaviours toward them and this is a significant
concern” (p. 135). Furthermore, the findings revealed that “Education
Departments have extensive policies in regards to diversity and antidiscrimination
… outworking of such policies are unfinished products” (2013, p. 135).
2.6. Pedagogy in multicultural classrooms
The emergence of scholarly studies regarding teachers working in culturally
diverse classrooms has, as Santoro (2017) explains, occurred due to the “cultural
diversity present in many of the world’s classrooms” (p. 60). Examples of these
scholarly studies are found in Moloney and Saltmarsh (2016), Santoro (2013,
2012, 2009, 2007), Vass (2017), Watkins, Lean and Noble (2016) and recently in
Walton, Priest, Kowal, White, Fox and Paradies (2018). Furthermore, discourse in
27
culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is evident in the United States and is
synonymous with the teaching of culturally diverse student populations and the
development of culturally diverse curricula as indicated by Banks (2016), Delpit
(1995), Gay (2013, 2010a, 2010b, 2002) and Nieto (2000).
According to Mansouri and Jenkins (2010) teachers in Australia now work within
multicultural contexts that challenge their abilities to teach students from diverse
cultural backgrounds. They contend that “it is a reasonable expectation for
students to be taught by teachers who are educated about racial and cultural
issues” (Mansouri and Jenkins, 2010, p. 94). Similarly, Kalantzis and Cope (2012)
suggest that “educators need to be keen observers of change, because this will
keep teaching and schools, up to date and relevant” (p. 61). Likewise, Keddie
(2012) believes that teachers and schools must be “responsive to ever-changing
shifts in the broader political, economic and cultural landscape” (p. 1296). In
addition to literature that examines teaching practices in culturally diverse
classrooms, emerging studies in Australia and globally are increasing regarding
the training and preparation of pre-service teachers entering contemporary
culturally diverse classrooms. For instance, in an Australian context, Mansouri
and Jenkins (2010) believe that the teacher education institutions have an
“important role to play in this, ensuring that pre-service teachers are taught about
cultural diversity, cultural sensitivities, multiculturalism and equity” (p. 94).
In an Australian study by Moloney and Saltmarsh (2016) teacher education
students were investigated in the context of their preparation to teach culturally
diverse classrooms and their attitudes to cultural diversity within an
undergraduate teacher education program. They found that “more than half of the
cohort expressed anxiety in feeling unprepared to teach in a CALD classroom”
and recommend that “teaching for social justice in the CALD classroom must
involve more than a concern for classroom management, delivery of a curriculum,
and satisfying local accreditation demands” (p. 88). Similarly, in a study by
Watkins, Lean and Noble (2016) that examined pre-service teacher training and
the professional learning of teachers in terms of Australia’s increasingly culturally
28
diverse complex school populations, it was found that a good number of teachers
did not undertake any professional learning in this area. Furthermore, they
stressed that greater emphasis needs to be placed on examining these issues in
Australia. Watkins, Lean and Noble (2016) concluded that:
With schools as important sites in which values and understandings
around cultural diversity are formed, it is imperative that teachers possess
the necessary professional capacities to assist students in making sense of
the multicultural society in which they live ensuring a sense of civic
belonging and social inclusion that provide the basis for an equitable and
fair polity (p. 62).
This literature demonstrates that educators in classrooms or preparing to enter
classrooms, need to develop, teach, understand and address contemporary
pedagogical and curriculum practices in response to the culturally diverse student
populations and intercultural encounters that presently exist in schools. This study
offers insights into teacher practice and student learning that can inform
educational organisations about ways of addressing cultural diversity in
education.
2.7. Intercultural understanding in the Australian curriculum
According to Donohoue-Clyne (1998) the challenge to address cultural diversity
in the curriculum of Australian schools was first officially raised by the Schools
Commission Report (1975) that stated “the multicultural reality of Australian
society needs to be reflected in school curricula—languages, social studies,
history, literature, the arts and crafts—in staffing and in school organisation” (p.
280). It is evident that cultural diversity is addressed in the Australian
Curriculum3 (2018).
3 The Australian Curriculum sets guidelines and expectations of what all young
Australians should be taught. It forms part of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority (ACARA) that develops national curriculum, administration of
national assessments and associated reporting on schooling in Australia. ACARA’s
strategic directions are set by its Charter and any other written instructions from the
Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Education Council.
29
To illustrate this, Mansouri and Arber (2017) explain that:
Since the 1970s, multicultural education has been a core feature of the
formal school curriculum of Australian states and territories … In the first
national Australian curriculum, introduced in 2013, multicultural
education was replaced with the cross-curricula area of intercultural
understanding – one of seven ‘general capabilities’ to be cultivated in
students during their schooling (p. 36).
According to the recent Australian Curriculum (2018) “Intercultural
Understanding”, along with the other six general capabilities, is developed
through eight learning areas that include: English, Mathematics, Science,
Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical
Education and Languages. In the Australian Curriculum (2018) “Intercultural
Understanding” is organised into three interrelated elements, as shown in Figure 1
(on the next page). Within these three elements, several important values inform
this research that include:
Recognising culture and developing respect: Students investigate
culture and cultural identity, explore and compare cultural knowledge,
beliefs and practices, develop respect for cultural diversity;
Interacting and empathising with others: Students communicate across
cultures, consider and develop multiple perspectives, empathise with
others;
Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility:
Students reflect on intercultural experiences, challenge stereotypes and
prejudices, mediate cultural difference.
30
Fig. 1: Australian Curriculum: Organising elements for Intercultural
Understanding – Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority.
There are few studies that address intercultural understanding in the Australian
curriculum. This is recognised in one study that is entitled Doing Diversity:
Intercultural Understanding in Primary and Secondary Schools by Halse et al,
(2015) that examined intercultural capabilities as described in the Victorian and
Australian curricula for students and schools. The three-year study, conducted
across primary and secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia was a multi-
method programme of research that involved twelve culturally diverse schools.
Halse et al (2015) found that eight key principles of practice emerged as critical
for developing interculturally capable students, teachers and schools: principals
make a difference; research-based decision-making improves outcomes; strategic
use of finances makes a difference; professional learning makes a difference;
personal intercultural experiences, including travel, enhance teacher expertise;
intercultural capabilities are fostered in reflexive learning environments; a whole
school approach is most effective in improving intercultural capabilities; and
curriculum innovation is essential (pp. 42–44).
The aforementioned literature supports the need for this study in that it seeks to
understand the experiences of culturally diverse students in the Australian
31
curriculum. Also, it demonstrates that the concept of intercultural understanding is
a recent concept in Australian education and little research has been conducted to
explore its meaning and significance.
2.8. Culturally diverse discourse in drama education
The intersections of cultural diversity and drama education are central to this
study. In surveying the literature in these contexts, studies are located in fields
synonymous with cultural diversity; for example, drama and biculturalism
(Greenwood, 1999), drama and ethnicity (Grady, 2000), drama as intercultural
education (Donelan, 2005), drama and Indigenous young people (Blight, 2012),
drama and inclusive education (Raphael, 2013), drama and social justice
(Freebody and Finneran, 2016), drama and social inclusion (Piekkari, 2005),
multiculturalism in drama (Ackroyd and Pilkington, 1997; Saldaña, 1995), drama
and refugees (Balfour, Bundy, Burton, Dunn and Woodrow, 2015; Gallagher,
2011) and drama and additional language (Piazzoli, 2010; Yaman Ntelioglou,
2011). Key texts in the field of educational drama that examine cultural diversity,
multiculturalism and ethnicity are found in the works of Johnny Saldaña (1995) in
his book Drama of Color: Improvisation with Multiethnic Folklore and Sharon
Grady (2000) in her text Drama and Diversity: A Pluralistic Perspective for
Educational Drama.
Previous studies demonstrate that the discourse of cultural diversity in drama
education is considered to be important in developing contemporary
understanding, practices, dialogues and explorations. For instance, researching in
a culturally diverse high school in Canada, Gallagher and Rivière (2007)
examined the force of theatre and drama to raise questions about race. The study
involved a Grade 12 (17–18 year-olds) drama classroom that explored concepts of
racism and privilege using Augusto Boal’s (1992) activities. Additionally, in an
international study entitled Drama Improves Lisbon Key Competencies in
Education (DICE) the two-year cross-cultural research study that investigated the
effects of educational theatre and drama found that “raising citizens with
educational theatre and drama in the curriculum will result in citizens being more
32
sympathetic towards cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue” (Cziboly, 2010,
p. 7).
In an Australian study, drama-based approaches were used to support settlement,
specifically to newly arrived refugees settling in Logan, Australia (Balfour,
Bundy, Burton, Dunn and Woodrow, 2015). Across a three-year period (2011–
2013), the qualitative study drew upon action research and reflective practice
methods that involved primary, secondary and TAFE4 education sectors. The
researchers found that it was important to “open up new dialogues about the
learning needs of newly arrived refugee children and the pedagogies that might be
used to engage, excite and support” settlement journeys (Balfour et al, 2015, pp.
72–73). Furthermore, the study revealed that there were “successes and failures,
but that overall it was a highly positive experience for all involved” (2015, p.
119). In their concluding remarks, Balfour et al, (2015) found that “drama is an
empowering and engaging pedagogy that does indeed offer children new ways to
see themselves as learners and members of their new community” (2015, p. 119).
Australian scholarly studies by Donelan (2017, 2005, 2004, 2002a, 2002b)
demonstrate the importance, awareness and advancement regarding intercultural
approaches in drama education. For example, Donelan (2017) advocates that the
“arts play a vital role in intercultural learning because they give children the
means to connect imaginatively with the lived experiences of people in different
kinds of societies past and present” (p. 42). Donelan (2004) raised concern that
“there is no mention of drama-based activities at primary or secondary levels”
regarding the 2002 national statement on global education entitled Global
perspectives: A statement on global education for Australian schools (p. 17).
Through the lens of ethnographic research, Donelan (2005) investigated the
relationship between drama and the intercultural experiences of 40 people in an
intercultural drama and performing arts project. The six-month project involved
4 In Australia, the acronym TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education. TAFE
provides education that is usually post-secondary school. Many TAFE institutions exist in
the various states and territories of Australia.
33
secondary students, a drama teacher and a Kenyan performing artist (2005, pp. 5–
6). Donelan (2005) found that “drama can be a powerful mode of intercultural
education. The data revealed significant personal, social aesthetic and cultural
learning outcomes for many of the participants” (p. 291). Donelan (2005) further
found that “Australian drama educators and their students have rich opportunities
for intercultural exchange … and for intercultural interactions within multicultural
classrooms” (p. 294). While Donelan’s (2005) study investigated drama and
intercultural education it did not apply a unit of work to examine culturally
diverse student experiences.
Kelman (2009), like Donelan (2005), also investigated interculturalism in drama
education. Kelman (2009) through the use of reflective practitioner research,
examined how culturally diverse young people performed their own dramatised
stories and explored the processes used to generate these performances. The study
involved an inner-city secondary school in Melbourne, Australia during 2004 and
2006. Kelman (2009) like other scholars in the contexts of cultural diversity and
drama education (Balfour, Bundy, Burton, Dunn and Woodrow, 2015; Donelan,
2005) considered the cohort of the participants and identified that they were “not a
homogenous group … each had her or his own story” (p. 17). Kelman (2009)
found that “the young people’s dramatised stories were significant because they
were particular to a local context and embraced young people’s aesthetics and
voice” (p. 301). For Kelman (2009) a major finding of the study was “the
significance of culturally diverse young people performing their own stories to
their own communities in their own voice” (p. 302).
Grady (2000) notes that “there has been little discussion concerning how drama
teachers … actively respond to the vast diversity present in our student
populations” (p. 3). Similarly, Garcia (1997) suggested that “little is known about
the extent that drama/theatre programs in elementary and secondary schools
promote appreciation for cultural differences, and even less is known about their
effectiveness” (pp. 88–89). Recent literature by Winston and Lin (2015) suggests
34
that studies in cultural pluralism and drama education are not abundant and
explain that:
It is hardly controversial to propose globalisation as one of the defining
concepts of our era …Theoretical literature examining the implications of
globalisation on drama and theatre education is, however, relatively
limited (p. 196).
However, according to Nicholson (2000) “living in an increasingly globalized
society, drama educationalists have become concerned with how drama might
reflect the dynamic cultural landscapes in which young people live” (p. 160).
Examples of contemporary discussions regarding cultural diversity, globalisation
and cultural identity in the context of educational drama are emerging. For
instance, recently in the Youth Theatre Journal the issue of race was addressed in
a special edition entitled Race and Theatre: A Special Issue on Race and Youth
(Vol. 31, Issue 2, 2017). In the words of the editors, there are “challenges faced in
drama classrooms and community-based theatre programs when they attempt to
directly address the thorny, uncomfortable, difficult subject of race” (Young and
Murray, 2017, p. 77).
In surveying the literature, the topic of race and racism in educational drama has
also been addressed in Australia. For example, the primary aim of an Australian
study by Weiss (2007) was to challenge understandings of racism through a
drama-based education praxis. In a qualitative methodological approach, Weiss
(2007) reveals that the provocation for his research project stemmed from his own
experience from a Jewish background living in Australia and his encounters with
“a number of incidents of anti-Semitism” (p. 16). Weiss (2007) found that the
research “deepened” his understanding of the racism process and enabled him “to
challenge racism creatively” (p. 352). This demonstrates that studies and
discourses significant to culturally diverse issues in the context of drama
education are seen to be important and increasing.
In 2005, Donelan notes that in Victoria, Australia “the orientation of drama
programs is starting to change” (p. 50). She suggested that this was due to the
35
drama teachers’ professional association, Drama Victoria5, encountering “an
increasing demand by drama teachers for professional development and
curriculum materials related to cross-cultural drama curriculum” (Donelan, 2005,
p. 50). Thus, in the journal of Drama Victoria entitled Mask, drama units of work
and lessons regarding cultural diversity emerged. For example, Living the Story
through Drama: Two Refugee Stories at the Immigration Museum (2010),
Cultural Understandings (2003–2004), Ways of Being Australian (2003),
Immigration (2002) and Drama in Asia (2000). Additionally, two special editions
entitled Cultural Diversity (2004) and the Drama and Intercultural Perspectives –
Asian Theatre (2002–2003) were developed.
Yet, little is known about the effectiveness and teaching of these units of work
and what takes place in drama classrooms when culturally diverse curriculum is
explored. Therefore, research is needed to inform and capture the complexities,
challenges, meanings and experiences of drama educators and drama students in
contemporary heterogeneous classrooms. Furthermore, despite evidence to
suggest increasing culturally diverse student populations in Australia, as
referenced in the review of literature (Harris, 2015; Mansouri and Jenkins, 2010),
there remains a lack of research that concerns culturally diverse students in drama
education.
Evidence suggests that the national association for drama educators in Australia,
referred to as Drama Australia6, commits to cultural diversity and Indigeneity. For
instance, two documents that advocate and address culturally diverse principles in
drama education are found in the Drama Australia Equity and Diversity
Guidelines for Drama Education (2015) and its companion document, the Drama
Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guidelines for Drama/Theatre
5 Drama Victoria is an association of drama teachers in Victoria and was established in
1968. Its members include educators and performing arts practitioners. It offers
professional development, teaching resources, journals, curriculum and assessment
information and networking opportunities.
6 Drama Australia is the national body that represents and advocates on behalf of all state
and territory drama education associations in Australia and was founded in 1976.
36
Education (2007). In the Drama Australia Equity and Diversity Guidelines for
Drama Education (2015) five fields are embedded in “Equity and Diversity” that
include, Cultural and linguistic diversity, Socio-economic status (SES), Disability,
Gender and Sexualities. According to the preamble, the Drama Australia Equity
and Diversity Guidelines for Drama Education commit to “diversity, equality,
equity and access as manifested in Australian society” and stress that “it seeks to
engage with contemporary thought and practice, develop understanding and
awareness and offer advice to educators on ways to address these issues” (2015, p.
2). Furthermore, the key terms used as “frames of reference” in the guidelines are
developed through, equity, inclusiveness, pluralism, diversity and empowerment
(2015, p. 2). Despite the significance and importance of all five “Equity and
Diversity” fields, this study is primarily informed by the “Guiding Principles for
Drama and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity CALD” (Drama Australia, 2015, p.
5).
Carter and Sallis (2016) writers of the Drama Australia Equity and Diversity
Guidelines for Drama Education (2015) affirm that the guidelines provide advice
in relation to drama and diversity and “is not to prescribe what action teachers
should take but instead to provide guidance that is theoretically underpinned and
reflects current thinking” (p. 80 – authors’ italics). Donelan (2005) notes that the
Drama Australia policies offer drama educators a “strong and challenging
framework for pedagogical practice” (pp. 51–52).
Existing publications by Drama Australia that address Indigenous understanding
and the increasingly globalised school populations reflect contemporary
epistemological values. For instance, the Australian Drama Education Magazine
(ADEM) published by Drama Australia, produced a themed edition entitled
Drama and Indigenous Perspectives (2005). The discourse and inclusion of
diverse voices, specifically, the Indigenous voices, reveal cultural awareness for
drama education in Australia. In the words of Casey (2005), who contributed the
framing article to the special edition, she affirms that:
37
Indigenous Australians and their writings have a complex place within
Australian drama [that] presents a range of challenges to any teacher
regardless of their own cultural background or experience. At the same
time these texts offer an extraordinary opportunity to engage actively with
teaching and learning as we negotiate different social, cultural and
historical experiences (Drama Australia, Drama and Indigenous
Perspectives, 2005, p. 6).
In addition, the Drama Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guidelines
for Drama/Theatre Education state that “drama can play an important role in
helping to foster understanding and knowledge of Australian Indigenous people”
(2007, p. 7). These examples suggest that drama educators and drama associations
in Australia are committed to developing and providing professional
development, inclusive curriculum materials and guidelines about heterogeneous
cultural practices and values in Australia. This also demonstrates that cultural
diversity and drama education is a dyad that concerns and influences drama
educators.
2.9. Conclusion
This review of literature has drawn attention to aspects of a large body of
scholarly work concerned with cultural diversity. The review demonstrates that
the concept and definition of cultural diversity is extensive and contested. The
literature review has identified that cultural diversity is a key issue in
contemporary Australian education. It has demonstrated how government and
education organisations address cultural diversity. The review suggests that our
young people are more culturally diverse in schools and their learning experiences
are significant to pedagogical and curriculum processes. The review also
considers approaches to teaching culturally diverse classrooms. It highlights the
challenges, complexities and experiences that teachers have in working across
culturally diverse educational contexts. This suggests that there is an area of great
potential to be developed in the field of cultural diversity in education and also a
need for further research to which this study contributes.
The literature indicates that drama education organisations are addressing cultural
diversity through guidelines, professional development and curriculum resources.
38
However, there is little research about the learning experiences and pedagogical
considerations of culturally diverse practices in educational drama. This
demonstrates that further research in these interdisciplinary fields is needed. The
next chapter discusses the methodological approaches taken in this study.
39
CHAPTER THREE - Methodology
3.1. Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to outline the qualitative methodological approach
and research design of this study. This chapter describes reflective practitioner
research through qualitative method literature. The chapter also explains the
selection and description of the research site, participants and ethical
considerations. It then concludes with the organisation of the data collection,
analysis and the development of the emergent themes.
3.2. Qualitative research
For this study, I employed a qualitative research approach. Denzin and Lincoln
(2003) explain that “qualitative research involves an interpretative, naturalistic
approach to the world” (p. 5). Saldaña (2011) suggests that qualitative
methodology is an effective way to research “natural social life” (p. 3). In an
education context, research through qualitative methodologies “takes many forms
and is conducted in many settings” (Bogdan and Biklen, 1998, p. 2). Qualitative
research in education can be “naturalistic” because the researcher “frequents
places where the events he or she is interested in naturally occur” (Bogdan and
Biklen, 1998, p. 3 – author’s italics).
3.3. The reflective practitioner
In this study, I identified as a reflective practitioner researcher. Prior scholarly
studies in reflective practitioner research influenced and motivated this project;
for example, Cahill (2008), Duffy (2015), Neelands (2006), O’Mara (1999), Orton
(1994), Schön (1983, 1987) and Taylor (1998, 1995). In my study the
development of Schön’s (1983) “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action”
were applied through my teaching and researching practice (p. 54). Orton (1994)
suggests that “reflection-on-action means thinking about one’s practice,
discussing it with others, and reading about aspects of it, in order to plan new,
improved action” (p. 93 – author’s italics). O’Mara (1999) states that “reflection-
40
on-action is thinking about a specific action or event outside of its occurrence” (p.
48). Reflection-on-action is linked to what Schön (1991) refers to as reflection-in-
action. Schön (1987) states that reflection-in-action is a time, “variable with the
context, during which we can still make a difference to the situation at hand, our
thinking serves to reshape what we are doing while we are doing it” (p. 31).
Schön (1991) suggests that “much reflection-in-action hinges on the experience of
surprise” (p. 56).
My approach to reflective practitioner research was guided through “a discovery
of self, a recognition of how one interacts with others, and how others read and
are read by this interaction” (Taylor, 1996, p. 27). According to Taylor (1996)
“reflective practitioners use their own instrument, themselves, to raise the
questions of inquiry [and] draw on their own understanding of human affairs” (p.
40). O’Mara (1999) identifies that reflective practitioners “question who they are
and how they operate in their world, and why they see the world as they do” (p.
95). In a drama context, Bräuer (2002) suggests that reflective practitioners
examine their experiences as a “mode of instruction, through which they
themselves also continue to learn about the educational use of drama” (p. xi).
O’Toole (2006) states that “drama teachers naturally reflect upon their practice
perhaps more than most” (p. xvii). These features of reflective practitioner
research are relevant to my study and methodologically support my central
research question. The methodology literature demonstrates that a growing
number of contemporary qualitative studies in drama education, are increasingly
situated in the reflective practitioner researcher position.
3.4. Selection of the research site
The setting and selection of the research site was significant to this study. For
instance, Neuman (1997) asserts that there are three factors affecting the selection
of a research site: “richness of data, unfamiliarity, and suitability” (p. 352).
Informed by Neuman (1997), I searched for a school with which I was not
familiar in order “to see cultural events and social relations in a new site” (p. 352).
Furthermore, I required access to a school for the duration of one school term. In
41
Victoria, Australia, one school term usually is between eight and eleven weeks.
Additionally, a condition of recruiting a school site was that the student
participants involved of culturally diverse backgrounds.
I committed several months to contacting potential schools via telephone. I
pursued 10 schools and discussed my project with the school administration
whom I saw as the “gatekeepers” to the principal and the drama teacher. Neuman
(1997) states that a “gatekeeper” is seen as “someone with the formal or informal
authority to control access to a site” (p. 352 – author’s italics). Seven out of the 10
school sites indicated little interest. Three school sites considered my research
project; however, two of these schools informed me that my study did not fit in
with their school calendar dates. One school remained. This potential research site
suited the study because of its vision and philosophy which I further explain later
in this chapter. I met with the principal and drama teacher to discuss the project
face to face and gained verbal consent. In accordance with The University of
Melbourne, Human Research Ethics procedures, I prepared plain language
statement letters and consent forms for the parents/guardians, students, principal
and drama teacher. An example of the plain language statement and consent form
are shown in Appendices 1–2. Along with my signed consent, the forms were all
endorsed and signed by the participants. Prior to teaching the unit of work, the
drama teacher invited me to observe two of her drama classes. During these
lessons, she introduced me to the class and briefly explained the research project.
3.5. The research site – Corner College
I refer to the school that is the site of the research project as Corner College, a
pseudonym, because it was positioned on a corner. Located in urban Melbourne,
Australia, Corner College was a secular, coeducational independent secondary
school for students from Year 7 (12–13 year-olds) to Year 12 (17–18 year-olds).
At the time of my research, Corner College had a total of 65 secondary students.
This was a unique enrolment number since enrolments in secondary schools in
urban Melbourne commonly range between 500 and 1500 or more. Despite the
small student population, the students represented a broad range of
42
socioeconomic backgrounds. Importantly, the school was culturally diverse with a
plurality of ethnicities among its staff and students.
Corner College, was founded by an educator, who at the time of my research was
the Principal. As per the website, the school’s vision and philosophy is to
encourage students to accept the right of all members of the school community to
express their ideas, beliefs and feelings and to argue their own points of view, to
respect opinions and be willing to learn from each other. From my observations, I
concurred that the school actively promotes an awareness and understanding of
cultural, social and personal values.
The drama room, where the unit of work took place, was referred to as “The
Ballroom”. It was ornately decorated with features of wall sconces and a 12-foot
ceiling. The flooring was parquetry. Student tables and chairs were absent. Yet,
there was a single desk located to one side of the room, accompanied with a chair.
The drama classes I taught were fifty-five minutes in duration and held after
homeroom in lessons one and two from 9.20am to 11.10am. The students had
their recess break after the double drama lesson from 11.10am to 11.25am. The
student timetable consisted of five lessons per day and concluded at 3.10pm. The
unit of work comprised eight lessons and related to topics about cultural diversity.
3.6. The researched cohort
The research group comprised of a composite Year 7 and Year 8 drama class with
the students aged between 12 to 15 years. In total, there were 19 student
participants (three females and 16 males). The drama teacher explained the reason
for the composite class as being “to put the Year 7 and Year 8 students together
because it was a small school and there wouldn’t be enough students to make two
separate classes”. The students’ cultural backgrounds comprised of 50%
European, 25% Asian and 25% Anglo-Australian. There were no students in the
class that identified as Indigenous Australians. At Corner College, many of the
students had not previously studied drama as a subject. However, several students
43
were involved in after-school extracurricular activities that included dance,
gymnastics, amateur theatre and swimming. The drama teacher was female and
had more than 30 years of teaching experience. She revealed to me that she was
from an “Anglo-Saxon background”. The drama teacher and students were
unknown to me before I undertook the research project.
3.7. Ethics in the study
According to qualitative methodology literature (Saldaña, 2011) ethics is regarded
as essential. Bogdan and Biklen (1998) explain that research with human subjects
are based on two issues that include: “informed consent and the protection of
subjects from harm” (p. 43). For this study, ethics commenced with an application
form based on ethical guidelines, administered by The University of Melbourne:
Human Research Ethics Committee. Given the sensitive nature of the research
topic, along with associated issues concerning refugees, immigration and
ethnicity, I acknowledged that the content of the unit of work Cultural diversity
and drama could bring up unhappy memories; for instance, a refugee child who
arrived on a boat. Therefore, I examined carefully the ethics involved in my
research, asking myself what safeguards I should put in place in the event that
somebody had an adverse reaction to the unit of work.
Once the school had been chosen, I consulted with the teachers to select the year
level and also the teachers assisted me by suggesting a cross section of students
who could be interviewed for the study. Pseudonyms were used to protect the
identity of all participants. This was stated in the consent letter that was
dispatched. In the plain language statement to the parents/guardians I stated that
the welfare of the participants was important since the study was to explore
sensitive topics and any possible risks would be addressed. I stated that if any
concerns, questions or difficulties arose during the research project, I should be
contacted or, alternatively, a senior teacher at the school should be contacted and
a debrief meeting and discussion would be put in place to ensure the wellbeing of
the participants. I considered that it was possible that for some participants and
44
parents/guardians, English language could be their second language; indeed, they
might not speak the English language. Therefore, in the plain language statement,
I indicated that if any assistance with translation was needed they should contact
the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)7 and the TIS national telephone
number was provided in the letter (Appendices 1-2).
In the first lesson, I pointed out that it was not compulsory for the students to
share personal stories and that they were invited to speak as they wished.
Furthermore, I stated at the beginning of each class what my teaching aims and
objectives of the lesson were and I wrote them up on the whiteboard. At the start
of every drama lesson and during the two interviews, the audio recorder was
placed on a table in a position that was highly visible for all to see. The process I
implemented in relation to ethical considerations underpinned a respectful and
humanitarian approach for the study.
3.8. Data collection
According to Lofland (cited in Patton, 1990) there are four people-oriented
mandates in collecting qualitative data. Lofland states that the researcher must:
get close enough to the people and situation being studied to understand what
goes on; aim at capturing what takes place and what people say; include pure
description of people, activities, interactions, settings; and include direct
quotations (cited in Patton, 1990, p. 32). The collection of data for my research
consisted of “in-depth, open-ended interviews, direct observation and written
documents” (Patton, 1990, p. 10). Table 1, presents an overview of the types of
data generated and collected for my study. It shows that I conducted and collected
qualitative research.
Table is on the next page.
7 The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is provided by the Australian
Department of Home Affairs and is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
45
Table 1: Overview of data generated and collected
Date Description of data generated and collected
Stage one Introduction and observation
16 July Researcher introduced to drama students and observed
class taught by drama teacher
Data: reflective practitioner journal
23 July Researcher observed drama class and took part in drama
activities
Data: reflective practitioner journal
Stage two The unit of work: Cultural diversity and drama
30 July Lessons one and two: teaching/researching unit of work to
the junior secondary drama class
Data: reflective practitioner journal, student journals, field
notes, written documents, audio recording of class
6 August Lessons three and four: teaching/researching unit of work
Data: reflective practitioner journal, student journals, field
notes, written documents, audio recording of class
13 August Lessons five and six: teaching/researching unit of work
Data: reflective practitioner journal, student journals, field
notes, written documents, audio recording of class
20 August Lessons seven and eight: final lessons teaching/researching
unit of work
Data: reflective practitioner journal, student journals, field
notes, written documents, audio recording of class
Stage three Interviews
27 August Focus group interview with five culturally diverse students
Data: audio recording of interview, reflective practitioner
journal, fieldnotes
10 September Attended an excursion with the drama class and drama
teacher, Data: reflective practitioner journal and fieldnotes
8 October Interview with drama teacher
Data: audio recording of interview, reflective journal,
fieldnotes
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The unit of work Cultural diversity and drama was taught across eight drama
lessons. To address my research question, I generated and collected data that
included: a reflective practitioner journal, fieldnotes recorded in a separate
exercise notebook to the reflective practitioner journal, student journals and
written documents. Further, two interviews were conducted that comprised one
with a focus group with five culturally diverse students and a second with the
drama teacher. An audio recorder was used in all the drama lessons and in the two
interviews. In order to understand how and why the data was generated and
collected for my study, I explain several types of data through qualitative
literature as follows.
The reflective practitioner journal
As a reflective practitioner, I reflected in my journal before and after each drama
class taught. Taylor (1998) suggests that “it is imperative that the teacher finds a
medium where the voices that surround a researched event can be recorded and
explored. Logbooks [journals] are often the most important record for collecting
such data” (p. 133). The reflective practitioner journal enabled me to process and
reflect on my thoughts and feelings. These journal entries formed an integral part
of my experiences.
Interviews
For this study, I conducted two interviews: the first one with a focus group of five
culturally diverse students whom I had taught, and the second one with the drama
teacher. For these interviews, I created open-ended questions in order to unearth
valuable information not allowed for in tight questions (Ely, 1991). Appendices 3
and 4 show the sample interview questions for the focus group and drama teacher.
47
Interview One: Focus group with five culturally diverse students
The first interview that took place was with a focus group that comprised five
students from culturally diverse backgrounds. The focus group interview took
place one week after the final lesson of the ten-week unit of work in order to
provide the students with the time and space to reflect. According to Barbour
(2007) the definition of a focus group is complex. The term “focus group” is often
used interchangeably with the terms “group interview”, “focus group interview”
and “focus group discussion” (p. 2). For the purposes of this study, I have applied
Barbour’s (2007) definition: “any group discussion may be called a focus group
as long as the researcher is actively encouraging of, and attentive to, the group
interaction” (p. 2).
Five students volunteered and expressed interest in taking part in the focus group.
The interview was held in a small classroom. We sat behind tables in a circle,
facing each other. I placed the audio recorder on the table in the middle of the
group and noticed that the student participants were aware of my action. I
attempted to create an atmosphere in which the participants would feel free to
discuss. Thus, I commenced the focus group discussion using informal
conversational tones.
Interview Two: Interview with Mary – the drama teacher
For this study, the second interview I conducted was with Mary, the drama
teacher. During the unit of work, Mary occasionally took part in the drama
activities and at other times observed the class. During informal conversations,
Mary informed me that she had extensive years teaching drama. Mary voluntarily
told me that her cultural background was Anglo Saxon. She was articulate in both
the interview and the unit of work and she welcomed my opinions and comments.
We developed a respectful and intellectual relationship that centred on our passion
for drama education and teaching. The location of the interview with Mary took
place in a local café near the school. I created a series of topics that guided the
interview (Appendix 4). At the end of the interview, I thanked her for permitting
me to conduct research in her drama class.
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3.9. Data Analysis
According to the literature, data analysis is complex (Bogdan and Biklen, 1998).
For Neuman (1997) data analysis means “a search for patterns in data – recurrent
behaviours, objects, or a body of knowledge” (p. 426). Wolcott (1994) stresses
that qualitative field data needs rigorous analysis in order to offer a way to
achieve credibility. He further states that the concept of “analysis” is loaded with
meaning and attests that “analysis always suggests something of the scientific
mind at work, inherently conservative, careful, systematic” (p. 25). My approach
to data analysis became “idiosyncratic” and meaningful (Ely, 1991, p. 143).
Guided by my research question, I searched for categories and themes. In a
qualitative context, when a researcher “organizes the raw data into conceptual
categories and creates themes or concepts” this is known as “coding” (Neuman,
1997, p. 421). Neuman (1997) explains that “coding data is the hard work of
reducing mountains of raw data into manageable piles” (p. 422). I used large
poster paper sheets to record the emergent themes. The following examples
capture several themes that emerged from the data:
culturally diverse narratives
culturally diverse young people creating and expressing Australia’s
history
sensitive issues in drama education
complex hybrid cultural identities
role stereotypes in drama education
racism (both as a topic and as a behaviour)
O’Toole and Beckett (2013) suggest that “you need your data to speak directly to
you … to converse with it” (p. 169). Neuman (1997) states that qualitative data is
“more difficult to deal with than data in the form of numbers … qualitative
analysis requires more effort by an individual researcher to read and reread data
notes, reflect on what is read, and make comparisons based on logic and
judgement” (p. 439).
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3.10. Conclusion
The theoretical and methodological approaches of this study have been
established to situate and explain the research project in a qualitative frame. This
study design underpins the research question and guides the aims of the project.
The discourse of qualitative method literature demonstrates the complexities in
generating, collecting, organising and analysing qualitative data. In order to
understand the study through the lens of a reflective practitioner, I have
highlighted literature that addresses reflective practitioner research. The next
chapter discusses the analysis of emerging themes and the unit of work Cultural
diversity and drama.
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CHAPTER FOUR – Discussion
4.1. Introduction
In this chapter, I discuss my teaching and researching as a reflective practitioner
(Schön, 1983). I also capture significant responses from the student experiences in
the drama classroom and demonstrate how lessons were altered in the moment,
“reflection-in-action” and after having taught the lessons “reflection-on-action”
(Schön, 1983, p. 54). This chapter presents critical events from the unit of work.
Through the combinations of data collected, that included observation of drama
classes, a reflective practitioner journal, field notes, written documents and
interviews of drama staff and students, I reveal the emergent findings through
thematic sections.
4.2. Cultural diversity and drama – an overview of the unit of work
The following description provides an overview of the educational unit of work
that I developed and taught. A detailed set of lesson plans can be seen in
Appendix 5. The pedagogical aim for the unit of work was to introduce, explore
and understand the topic of cultural diversity by “making (creating, forming,
pretending, directing, designing) drama; sharing (performing, presenting, acting,
showing) drama; and observing (watching, reflecting, responding, critiquing)
drama” (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 3 – authors’ emphasis). My aim was also to
understand how effective the unit of work would be for young people from
culturally diverse backgrounds. In lesson one and two of the unit, I introduced my
culturally diverse self as a drama teacher and researcher. I explained the research
project and its aims and objectives. The students discussed and brainstormed the
topic of cultural diversity in the drama classroom and contributed their own
meanings, such as “All of the world standing together”, Acknowledging our
differences” and “Singing with one voice”.
In lessons three and four, I further developed the discussion of cultural diversity.
A handout of factual information provided stimulus material on reasons why
migrants and refugees leave their homelands, for instance natural disasters, a
52
better life, war/conflict, reunion, love/marriage and job opportunities. Through
drama activities and drama conventions such as improvisation, tableau, hot-seat,
postcards, ritual and soundscape (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002) the class explored
culturally diverse topics, for instance, refugees, belonging and identity. A reading,
discussion and drama performances evolved from two picture books. The first
picture book presented to the drama class was entitled A Safe Place to Live by Bic
Walker (2011) about the true story of refugee Bic Walker and her family’s
journey from Vietnam to Australia. The second picture book was entitled The
Little Refugee by Anh and Suzanne Do (2011). This story was about Anh Do’s
family’s escape from war-torn Vietnam and his childhood in Australia. These
picture books were both narratives about refugees leaving Vietnam to arrive in
Australia. They were chosen because the themes in both picture books related to
multiculturalism and identity; growing up Asian in Australia and being outsiders
trying to fit in. While both books were about leaving Vietnam, I chose these
picture books based on the descriptive illustrations and because the narrative was
conveyed from a young person’s perspective, which would interest junior
secondary students. The refugee stories were used as stimulus material and a
starting point to launch into the drama activities (Ewing, 2013; Saldana, 1995;
Taylor, 2000). The class then explored the significance of “props” in a
multicultural context. A suitcase filled with props provided stimuli that
encouraged imagination, dialogue, writing and performance. In a handout, entitled
What’s in the Suitcase? students reflected and wrote stories about their props that
they had selected from the suitcase (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 169).
During lessons five and six, topics linked to cultural diversity were explored, for
instance leaving, culture, ritual and cultural spaces. An improvisation based on
these themes was presented. I introduced drama activities for the students to be
active and engaged. In these lessons (five and six) I presented drama activities
inspired by the work of Brazilian theatre practitioner, Augusto Boal (1992) with
reference to the games Two by three by Bradford (p. 99) and Inventing the space
in a room (p. 150). I chose these games because they offered the drama students
with a form “to express themselves through theatre” through their own bodies and
53
voice (Boal, 1992, p. xxx). Students also improvised the theme of migration by
reading a poem entitled Leaving. The words of the poem were spoken in unison
and in groups the students created a chorus. Percussion instruments were also
given out and the students developed a soundscape. Students presented their
performances to the class. The final lessons (seven and eight) explored the context
of ethnicity (Grady, 2000). I introduced and discussed the concepts of language,
customs, music, community, place, cultural background, country and stereotypes.
Students were asked in small groups to construct their own cultural communities.
Scenes were presented and reflection followed through discussion and writing.
The conclusion of the unit of work ended with a summary and reflection of
previous lessons. Students were given time to ask questions.
4.3. What’s in a name, What’s in my name?
At the beginning of the first lesson, the drama students greeted me with various
emotions. Some smiled and fixed their gaze on me, others looked disinterested
and stared out the window. As I walked over to the whiteboard to write the words
“Mrs. Ferrara”, I heard several students greet the drama teacher, by saying “Hi
Mary”, “Good Morning Mary”. In midair, my whiteboard marker froze. In that
moment, I wasn’t sure what to write. When I heard the students refer to the drama
teacher by her first name, I hesitated to write Mrs. Ferrara. This alerted me to the
fact that the school, class and teacher at this school were informal. I changed the
position of my white board marker and wrote ‘Patrizia’. I faced the class and said
“P-A-T-R-I-Z-I-A, it’s an Italian name”. This received the attention of all the
students. Within seconds, my heart pounded fast. I thought about my complete
Italian name “Patrizia Giovanna Ferrara”. A name, that in the past, had been
teased, shortened and changed by my school teachers, strangers, friends and
family to Patsy, Pats, Pattie and Trish. I repeated and said my name again
“PATRIZIA”. The students looked at the board, responded and said, “That’s a
nice name”, “How do you say it again”, “Where’s it from, what country”? I was
surprised they liked my name. The students were interested in my Italian name.
This informal conversation indicated to me that the drama students were
interested in my personal narrative and keen to discuss cultural identity. This then
54
motivated me in the moment to change the direction of the class. O’Mara (1999)
notes that “practical activity always involves change, varying essentially from
instant to instant, moment to moment” (p. 19). I asked the class to stand in a circle
and say their name one at a time. With enthusiasm, the students looked at me and
one by one pronounced their name. My spontaneous plan to include a Name
Game activity worked well. It revealed that the students were willing to voice
their own name and explore their own identity. As we all delivered and received
each other’s name, the activity started to build positive energy. The drama class
was abuzz with names and smiles. I found that despite what our name sounded
like, we supported, trusted and welcomed each other. I felt that the inclusiveness
of everyone in the drama classroom was “experienced through the body and
senses” that created an “embodied learning” setting (O’Toole, Hunter, Sinclair
and Jeanneret, 2017, p. 8). After the Name Game activity, the drama students had
developed positive physical and mental energy. I decided to continue on with
physical activities. The following fieldnotes highlight the teaching approaches I
took.
Let's open up the circle … please move backpacks …. you have a pencil at
the end of your foot and rotate your foot … reverse … bend those knees
Give your body a shake … in drama we call this a neutral position ….
Fantastic, very good, excellent what I want you to do now is a spinal roll.
(Fieldnotes: July)
As I reflected on the action that took place in the class, I thought about my name
and how it triggered my emotions about my own schooling and the memories of
year seven and how teachers found it difficult to pronounce and write my Italian
name Pa … Pa … Pa … I thought about why teachers changed my name to Patsy.
This motivated me to investigate further. That evening, I searched the filing
cabinet for evidence. I located my year seven report card and stared at the name. I
questioned, what’s in a name? what’s in my name? This revealed that what’s in
my name is my ethnic identity. I questioned even further. Why did my year seven
teachers change my name from Patrizia to Patsy? Why did they call me Patsy?
The reflections, emotions and questions continued. Why did they change my
55
name? Was it hard to pronounce? Was it because it was an Italian name? Didn’t
my teachers like me?
Fig. 2: This year seven report card is dated 7th of December, 1983. It consists
of 12 subjects. With the exception of Mathematics, that reads Name: Patricia
Ferrara, all eleven subjects reveal name of student to be Patsy Ferrara.
I thought about the Name Game activity in class. I felt the drama students
positively welcomed my name. They embraced all the vowels and consonants
without changes, without difficulty in pronunciation. This suggested that what’s
in a name, is more than an alphabet. I found that a name is idiosyncratic, emotive
and an embodiment of cultural identity. As a visiting drama teacher at the
research site, I felt that my Italian name and my culturally diverse background
was valued and accepted. That evening, I wrote about the Name Game activity in
my reflective practitioner journal.
Today is the first time a secondary class heard my first name and it felt
awkward. I wrote down ‘Patrizia’ on the board and then I said it aloud to
the class “Patrizia”. The drama students liked my name.
(Reflective practitioner journal data: July)
During my first double lesson (Lesson One and Two) I introduced my research
project to the class and wrote on the whiteboard “Cultural diversity and drama
education within an Australian context”. I commenced the class with the
following comments.
I would like to share with you the title, no secrets, the research project I’m
doing is drama and cultural diversity within an Australian context … I
chose this topic because for many years I have had a passion in this area as
56
a drama teacher … I’m a performer as well…I recently did a commercial
on television, but I’ve done more acting in theatre ….
(Transcription of class one and two, data: July)
Nam the Chinese-Australian student interjected my words and slowly asked
“which commercial”? This made me stop and pause. I felt my words were fast, I
felt anxious. I took long deep breathes and relaxed my shoulders. I scanned the
faces of the drama students and looked back at Nam with a smile and answered
“Oh, it was a TV commercial and my character was a nurse”. I looked around the
class and saw faces staring at me and it appeared that they were enthused and
interested in my words, my expression and my voice. I felt the drama students
gave me respect and trust and this encouraged me to communicate my words,
thoughts and feelings about cultural diversity and to take a risk. I continued to talk
in the knowledge that the students accepted me into their drama classroom not
only as a visiting drama teacher and researcher, but also as a person from a
culturally diverse background. This became a turning point for me, I felt accepted
into the drama classroom for who I was.
That evening, I listened to the audio recording and cringed. As I transcribed the
words, I became embarrassed. I regretted that I was talking fast. I regretted that I
was talking about myself. I felt vulnerable to the questions directed at me. I
listened, cringed and typed some more. In view of my feelings, Nicholson (2002)
notes that “accepting or taking risks in drama and elsewhere, often makes people
feel vulnerable; they are stepping outside of the familiar” (p. 84). Thus, the
completed transcript became my novel for the night. I read and reread the words.
This revealed, I was nervous talking to the students and unfamiliar in the
environment. I wanted to talk about cultural diversity, but I found it to be a
complex subject to discuss with young people. This made me reassess my next
lessons to think about slowing down my words and teaching the unit of work by
taking a risk into the unfamiliar environment.
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4.4. Exploring cultural diversity and drama education
My aim in lesson one was to introduce and discuss the concept of cultural
diversity. I approached the lesson with no set handouts because I wanted to
involve the drama students in conversations about cultural diversity and generate
a list of words, phrases and thoughts (Grady, 2000). I started with the following
comment:
Can I have everyone’s attention, facing the board, you might need to move
… I would like to brainstorm what cultural diversity means to you … in a
moment I’ll give out poster paper.
(Transcription of class one and two, data: July)
Informed and inspired by Grady’s (2000) approach to drama lesson planning that
encourages “a variety of activities”, I prepared the first lesson equipped with
coloured markers and large white sheets of paper, which I referred to as poster
paper (p. 158). My intention was to include aspects of “drama-related writing …
and drawing” to explore the issue of cultural diversity (p. 162). I also approached
teaching the unit of work in the knowledge that “drama engages the whole person
– the intellect, the emotions, the imagination, the body” (Bird, Donelan and
Sinclair, 2017, p. 112). I prompted the class with the following questions:
What does cultural diversity mean to you?
When you think of cultural diversity, I’m talking about diversity of
people’s background, ethnic backgrounds, multiculturalism, ethnicity or
ethnic backgrounds, what comes to mind?
(Transcription of class one and two, data: July)
Without hesitation, the students responded and called out the following words,
“Intelligence, cultural, cultural, cullllttttuuuurallllll”. I further commented “I
heard it on radio this week, they were talking about Adam Goodes, not playing
this weekend … Adam Goodes, the Aboriginal football player, culturally diverse
people …”. A student interrupted my words and said “racism” other students
continued to call out “acceptance of other cultures, discrimination, different
cultures in one place”. In the moment, I was engaged and inspired by the young
voices and the spontaneous discussions. This made me forget to write the list on
58
the whiteboard. I continued and asked questions, “thinking about your own
cultural background, what comes to mind?” There was a long pause. I noticed that
several students looked down, making no eye contact with me. I felt that I had
said something to offend. I thought about the question “thinking about your own
cultural background, what comes to mind?” I felt that the question could have
been confrontational because I stressed the words “your cultural background”.
The students sat in silence. My action because of this was not to continue with the
discussion. I concluded and said “Okay, do we want to leave it there … yes let’s
leave it there”. Due to the students sitting in silence not wanting to talk about their
cultural background in front of the class, this made me lose track of my thoughts.
The classroom became tense and awkward. I then heard the voice of a student say
“can we draw”. She looked at the markers and poster paper on the floor and
pointed to them and further expressed “can we draw about cultural diversity”.
This prompted me to regain focus, I established eye contact with the drama
students and confirmed the following “yes, markers, poster paper, draw and
brainstorm about cultural diversity”. Because of this student response, wanting to
draw about cultural diversity, I changed from feeling apprehensive to now feeling
excited. This made me change the direction of the lesson and ask the class to form
groups. In seconds they leapt up with enthusiasm and reached out for the markers
and poster paper. The students confidently moved into their own space. I found
that the previous silence revealed that the students were uncomfortable talking
about cultural diversity as a whole group. This was a critical moment that
occurred in the lesson. I observed that each group created their own intimate
space for the private dialogues taking place. The poster paper and markers were
placed at the centre of each group. As I walked around the drama classroom, I
observed the drama students engaged in drawing, writing, talking, listening and
reacting. This activity was independent of teacher instructions. This revealed that
the drama students were keen to develop their own contemporary definition of
cultural diversity. I walked over to a group and quietly asked “Can you please
explain your drawing of cultural diversity? A student volunteered and spoke in a
quiet tone.
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Um, we just basically wrote down all the stuff about the invasion, when
the English came to Australia and took over and mass murdered all the
Aboriginals …
(Transcription of class one and two, data: July)
Fig. 3: This drawing shows an outline of Australia. The captions, drawings
and words in the island of Australia indicates the history of Australia.
I was surprised to hear the words “invasion, English, Australia, mass murdered,
Aboriginals” from a young person. I stared at the drawing and saw an outline of
Australia, the island of Tasmania was absent. Inside the island of Australia were
phrases and words that read; Rasism [sic] is not a good thing, White man,
Aboriginal, English Invader, Native Aboriginal, G’day Mate, Black, White, Ha
Ha Ha Black, Got Rolled, Rolled Hard. I observed words misspelt and a person
coloured in black, holding a spear with the word “Aboriginal”. I saw an image of
a swagman with a beard, wearing a cork hat and a speech bubble exclaiming
“G’day Mate”! The students continued to engage in drawing and conversation. I
stood in silence and did not comment. I felt that the drawings and dialogue
revealed that the students were “active meaning makers” of Australian history and
of what cultural diversity meant to them (Nicholson, 2000, p. 164). I slowly
walked away and approached another group. A student looked at me and offered
these comments.
I drew an illustration of a bunch of people of different coloured people
holding hands, because I noticed, you know when they do like racial
diversity, you know like race …you know like, it’s not just black and
white, but I put everyone in there.
(Transcription of class one and two, data: July)
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Fig. 4: A drawing of stick figures joined together by the holding of hands,
drawn in various colours.
My gaze moved from left to right to observe the stick figures. The colours in the
drawing were bright and stood out, I smiled and slowly walked away. As a drama
practitioner, Grady (2000) suggests in order to build an awareness of ethnicity in
the drama classroom “have students work independently or in small groups to
create pictures of people with various shades of skin color. Challenge students to
find “colorful” descriptive words for their pictures” (p. 38). I positioned myself to
one side of the room and observed all the groups sitting on the floor talking,
drawing and reacting. At the end of the lesson, I asked each group if I could
collect the poster paper. They all agreed I could. After the class, I studied the
drawings and encapsulated my thoughts and wrote the following:
The students constructed their own concept and meaning of cultural
diversity. It was evident that this activity engaged the drama students. I
found the lesson developed cultural understanding and awareness, built by
conversations and drawings.
(Reflective practitioner journal data: July)
That evening I was keen to look at the collected data. I placed the large sheets of
paper on the floor and walked around the images and text. The data revealed
detailed drawings and phrases. I found one sentence that grabbed my attention
that read “It shouldn’t matter whether you’re black, white or blue with yellow
spots. We’re all people”. This revealed to me that for this student, every ethnicity
and every human-being mattered. I found that this activity was important because
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it provided a space for the drama students to voice, converse, draw and dialogue
personal thoughts and feelings about cultural diversity. The significance of this
activity suggests that the Australian curriculum offers culturally diverse students
with ways to express their own lived experiences and interpretations of the world
in which they live. It also reinforced Grady’s (2000) approach to drama pedagogy
and practice that advocates drama teachers to “structure work in ways that help
students reflect on issues related to identity and difference” (p. xiv).
As a reflective practitioner researcher and teacher, this activity motivated me to
question and think about my own personal schooling experience, how I was never
given this opportunity during my secondary school years to draw, discuss or
dialogue how I felt about my own or others’ culturally diverse background or
about the history of Australia. I felt satisfied and proud that I offered the drama
students a space in the curriculum to express their own thoughts and
understanding about cultural diversity. As Nicholson (2000) suggests drama
teachers are challenged by “what might be included in the curriculum and what
might be left out” (p. 164). This revealed to me that cultural diversity is a subject I
now willingly teach and talk about in personal and professional contexts. The
more I interrogate and discuss my own culturally diverse background or the
subject of cultural diversity, the more I feel that my voice, my story, my migrant
parents, my teaching, my learning and my research are equal, valid, heard and
accepted.
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Fig. 5: This group generated phrases around the words “Cultural Diversity”.
For example, Rasism [sic], Dreams of Acceptance, Refugees, Happiness,
unfair/fair, colour of skin, being bullied/abused, feeling okay about their
differences, Government Laws, Love between different coltures [sic],
freedom, fair, acceptance (hopefully), It shouldn’t matter whether you’re
black, white or blue with yellow spots, we’re all people; and, being able to
make a new life in a different country.
Fig. 6: This group of five students illustrated five hands. The students used
coloured markers to represent skin colours. No words were written. The
picture encapsulates the meaning of cultural diversity.
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I did not include all the images and text from the poster paper data. I selected data
that focused on the concept of cultural diversity. I hesitated to include and show
Figure 7 given that it revealed a written response that confronted me. I analysed
the words and explored my own interpretations that included, maybe this student
did not engage with the topic of cultural diversity and drama or the student may
have been hurt, confused or bored with this activity. I felt because of this student
response the lesson could have been a failure for this student. I found this to be a
critical moment and it demonstrated that for one particular student, this lesson was
“a waste of time” and had “nothing to do with drama”. This challenged me as a
researcher and teacher and made me question the validity of this study. I posed
questions and thoughts to myself:
Why did this student find the lesson a waste of time? How can we discuss
cultural diversity and drama? Is a unit of work on cultural diversity
relevant to young people? How can culturally diverse topics be taught in
drama? How can we learn about culturally diverse students in drama?
(Reflective practitioner journal data: July)
Fig. 7: A student writes the words “nothing to Do with Drama eg. a waste of
time!” This comment made me question the unit of work. I was frustrated
when I read these words because it was a critical comment toward the
relevance of cultural diversity and drama education.
On reflection of the student comment, I felt that the drama unit was important and
not “a waste of time”. However, knowing that one student found the lesson a
waste of time revealed that it was significant for me as an educator to be
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respectful and aware that the views of every participant in this study was valued
and valid. As I did not know who wrote this, I had no opportunity to ask this
student why they felt that way about the lesson. I was interested and wanted to
know more about this comment. After analysing the data, I found that it was
important that I accepted and respected all viewpoints. This revealed that my
motivations about cultural diversity can be idiosyncratic and may not be important
to others. While teaching my next lessons, I became more aware that every
student brings with them their own responses and experiences in the drama class.
Informed by Grady (2000) this activity offered the students an opportunity to
understand “people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds” (p. 35). The
drawings, discussions and thoughts by the young people demonstrated that there
is sensitivity, complexity and an open ended meaning of cultural diversity. I found
because I did not present a textbook about Australian history or handout
describing cultural diversity, the drama students themselves embodied learning
about cultural diversity and because of this, compelling and original work was
created and expressed.
4.5. Migration – an imagined world
In lesson three, I introduced the topic of migration to the drama students and
discussed reasons why migrants leave their homeland including the following;
natural disasters, land, a better life, war/conflict, reunion, love/marriage, job
opportunities, climate, adventure and freedom. These reasons took me back to an
event when I was working at the Immigration Museum in Melbourne as a teacher.
I recalled taking large school groups on educational tours, in particular, through
the Leavings Gallery, which was an exhibition that displayed Australia’s
multicultural history. I thought about the students standing in the Leavings
Gallery as they listened to my opening words, “What would make you leave your
homeland and travel thousands of miles to another country?” I would then gesture
to enlarged cursive letters strewn across the walls and project aloud the phrases;
land, job opportunities, natural disasters, a better life, adventure, love/marriage,
freedom, climate, war/conflict, reunion”. The visiting students would gaze around
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the Leavings Gallery to observe still and moving images of migrants leaving their
homeland.
I looked around the drama class and repeated the reasons again, “natural disasters,
land, a better life, war/conflict, reunion …”. During this action, I noticed the
drama students were wriggling their bodies. It was like they wanted to get up and
move around the class, the words I conveyed appeared repetitive and it seemed
like the drama students already knew why migrants leave their homeland. It was
in the moment, that I realised that the drama students wanted to get up and put the
words into action. This motivated me to stop talking and ask the class to form
groups to create improvisations based on the issue of migration. My lesson plan
was to spend more time in talking about the migration reasons in greater detail,
but in that moment, I found my voice was monotonous and the drama students
appeared tired of my spoken words. Thus, I got straight into the drama activity.
I asked the drama students to improvise a scene and role-play migrants and
passport officers. Informed by Haseman and O’Toole (1986) my aim was for the
drama students to enter “an imagined world” that involved “human relationships”
(p. 3). The type of improvisation I wanted the drama students to develop involved
“rehearsed improvisations … in performing scenarios where they have time to
rehearse their basic ideas” (Lovesy, 2004, p. 78). A brief outline of a scene was
handed out to the drama students that indicated a given situation that included a
location; the Australian embassy, characters and a scenario; two migrants need to
explain to the passport officer that they need to stay in Australia. The length of the
scene was to be between five to 10 minutes. Mary took interest in the scene
outline and volunteered to arrange the groups. The students appeared pleased and
energetic as they moved around getting involved in the drama activity. Each
group located to a corner of the drama room and established a space to create and
rehearse their improvisations. I did not hand out or encourage the use of any
costumes or props as I wanted the drama students to spend more time working
through their characters and scene. As the drama students began to improvise, I
walked around the space and observed students in role as passport officers and
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migrants. From moment to moment, improvised lines were spontaneously
delivered that resonated across the room, such as:
I’m the passport officer, here’s my table, you’re standing out here
watching everything.
Hello, I would like a passport from Australia.
Why do you want to migrate to Australia?
Okay, let’s start from the beginning.
Next, what’s your name?
(Fieldnotes, August)
During the improvisations, I observed in action a group who appeared to
transform a small table into a physical barrier for the passport officer to stand
behind and stamp passports. The table developed “symbolic significance” that
suggested an official location for the passport officer (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p.
171). It also defined the space between the passport officer and the migrant. The
class sounded loud and at times chaotic. Several students were laughing; the joke
was about eating gum. According to O’Toole and Dunn (2002) spontaneous role-
play requires patience from the teacher as not every student can “switch on belief
when they enter an improvised scene” and at times “laughing and playing around”
occurs (p. 6). I did not intervene and observed that after several minutes, the
group became focused and started to improvise their scene. After some time, I
informed the class that the scenes would be performed to the class, so I announced
the following:
Okay, freeze, can I have your attention, I’m going to give you, sorry to
interrupt, I’m going to give you five more minutes to rehearse, then we are
presenting. I’m going to give you another thing, think about where your
audience is going to sit. So, you need to also stage this scene, where are
you performing in the space and where is the audience going to sit. Thank
you.
(Fieldnotes, August)
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As I walked around the room, the drama students appeared happy and looked at
me with a sense of achievement. This prompted me to stop the class and say
“Who would like to go first”. Alice immediately put her hand up and volunteered,
the others in the group reacted and whispered “no put your hand down, not first
… alright let’s do it”. Mary in an excited voice said “Where do you want us to
sit?”. Waving her hand, Alice instructed us to sit on the floor toward one side of
the class. The other students standing near Alice positioned themselves as the
performers opposite the audience and stood in a tableau position. The scene
commenced and the audience sat in silence. Alice, in role as the passport officer,
stamped her fist on the table and in a loud disgruntled voice projected out the first
word “next”. Sam, in role as a migrant shuffled forward and responded with a
quivered tone “um, I want a passport”. The passport officer, stared directly at the
migrant “so do they all, what’s your name”, the migrant responded back “Lousa,
call me Louie”. The passport officer responded back and said “Lousa, wow, your
parents must really love you”. The passport officer continued to question the
migrant “why do you want to come to Australia”, the migrant anxiously said “it’s
too cold in England, I’m from the band One Direction, you know One Direction,
you want a selfie”. The passport officer responded back “yeah sure, why not”.
The audience reacted with laughter and looked at each other with smiles. The
scene continued with a second migrant stepping forward toward the passport
officer, the migrant said “I’m from Singapore, I’m a chef”. As the migrants
stepped forward to talk to the passport officer, it was evident that the reasons
discussed earlier, why migrants leave their homeland, were now being expressed
through the dramatic elements of “role, focus, tension, climax, transformation of
space and objects” (Bird, Donelan and Sinclair, 2017, p. 110 – authors’ italics).
On reflection I came to the conclusion that the drama students actively embodied
the topic of migration across various methods of learning that included discussion,
improvisation and performance.
After all the groups presented their scene, I incorporated a “reflective phase” that
involved “in-role writing” (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 23-24). I wanted the
drama students to have time to write in character, as I found that the migration
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scenes were “strong” experiences that needed “to be reflected on” (O’Toole and
Dunn, 2002, p. 23). I presented the drama students with a handout that was
entitled Journal/Reflection – Migration Scene. With their handout, the students
quietly sat down on their own. With heads down, the drama students appeared to
be focused in thought and writing. For 10 minutes, the drama room was in
complete silence. It was apparent that the drama students were writing in-role and
were in deep reflection. The journal entries revealed the following:
The cold in Syberia [sic] is usually in winter -30 degrees. The passport
officer asked me why I wanted to come here … I couldn’t take it. I need
the heat. I was not welcome and I was rejected. I shall try tomorrow …
All my life I have been forced to chef at a little restaurant that underpaid
me. I was forced to do something that I disliked. Luckily, I had a chance to
migrate to the free and warm Australia.
(Data, August).
As the drama students reflected in role and continued writing, I took solace in the
silence to the point where I slowed down my walking pace to stand still. I did not
want to disturb the class with my words or presence, so I sat on a chair to one side
of the room and glanced down at my lesson plan. I held my notes but did not read
them. I reflected back to the lived experiences of my grandparents and parents
leaving Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Egypt, and thought about their reasons of
leaving; political conflict, wanting an adventure, to be reunited with family, love
and a proxy marriage. As I sat on the chair, the drama students approached me
and volunteered to hand in their work. I reached out and accepted their journal
entry.
At the end of the lesson, I felt satisfied that the drama students developed meaning
and understanding as they entered “an imagined world” (Haseman and O’Toole,
1986, p. 3). It also showed that the drama students tried “walking in another
person’s shoes” to explore a different perspective other than their own (Simons,
2000, p. 25). I reflected on the actions of my pedagogical practice. It was evident
from the reactions of the students and of my own feelings, that my teaching
69
approach of the lesson consisted of too much talking and a repetition of phrases.
Informed by this lesson, I made sure that the next lessons did not consist of long
periods of me standing and talking to the drama students. Therefore, I planned the
next lesson with brief teaching instructions that gave greater clarity in words and
action for the drama students to follow. As a reflective practitioner, what I learnt
from this drama activity was that the drama students embodied the characters
through language, actions and thought to express a contemporary perspective
about migration, that involved humour and emotions relevant to the present time.
4.6. Pedagogical approaches to cultural diversity
The week before teaching Cultural diversity and drama, I offered the drama
teacher Mary, a hard copy of the unit of work. I considered this hard copy as
evidence to explain to Mary the aims, objectives and content of what I was going
teach. Mary declined to see or keep a copy of my unit of work. This implied that
Mary was very happy to hand things over to me because she had trust in me and
didn’t need to see my unit or preparation. She enthusiastically engaged in a
discussion about drama and I felt that she wanted to hear and see the unit in action
rather than read about it. That evening, I reflected and wrote the following.
Mary didn’t want a hard copy of my unit of work today. She seemed
disinterested in the paper work and didn’t want to know about the aims
and objectives. She said her drama classes are taught in an “organic” way.
I spoke to her about the topic of cultural diversity. She liked that. I get the
impression that Mary likes to talk about things. When she looked at the
paper in my hand she shook her head and said “No thanks”.
(Reflective practitioner journal data: July)
Thinking back at the time I felt that the “public actions” from Mary was an
indication that she trusted me with her students and didn’t need to read over my
unit plan before I actually started teaching the classes (Nicholson, 2002, p. 83).
After teaching the unit of work, I found that Mary who had been teaching the
same students throughout the year had her own personal perspective regarding the
culturally diverse identities of the students. I discovered this during the interview I
conducted with Mary, given that her view of the drama students in the context of
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cultural diversity did not encapsulate pluralism. When I asked Mary to discuss the
drama students she said:
They are not culturally diverse … we have got a few Chinese students, and
we have got people that might be second and third generation ethnic.
(Interview data: October)
I found this to be a critical moment because it showed that Mary and I had taught
the same students, yet our pedagogical perspectives were different. According to
Grady (2000) in our drama and theatre work there needs to be more “in-depth
understanding of and respect for the identity locations that mark us as different
from one another … to look beyond our own ways of viewing the world” (p. xiii).
During the interview with Mary, she was relaxed in her discussion and received
the questions with confidence. I was interested in her thoughts about cultural
diversity. She commented and said:
In Australia we are extremely lucky to have such a big mix of different
cultures and not just because people have arrived very recently, but
because we have had this since right when immigration began, it’s
amazing this diversity so I see it as a huge positive but that is a very open
ended question.
(Interview data: October)
I asked Mary about the awareness of her own ethnic background and about others
and she said “Oh I just think that it is in built”. She then discussed the school that
she taught at.
Well I suppose we do have some language barriers at [Corner College] we
have some Chinese students as you know, who … have very little
language … in drama classes we all become really expert mimes.
(Interview data: October)
As I read the interview transcript, I returned to Mary’s comments about language
barriers and wrote about it in my reflective practitioner journal.
Mary should allow Chinese-Australian students more opportunities to use
language and read. I wanted to discuss with Mary the success of Nam
reading aloud … A Safe Place to Live … It reminded me of my mother
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who had an accent … We need to be inclusive in the world and not treat
language as a barrier. We need to break down these barriers!
(Reflective practitioner journal data: July)
Table 2 presents a vignette that has been constructed verbatim from what actually
took place. It illustrates my pedagogical approaches and the introduction of the
Australian picture book, A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011). Informed by the
drama practice of Ewing (2013), Grady (2000), Saldaña (1995) and Taylor
(2000), I introduced A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011) and included aspects of
what many drama practitioners refer to as Storydrama (Booth, 1994). For Ewing
(2013) explains that “Storydrama … involves an adult or older child, reading a
picture book … while providing an opportunity for children to embody the events
through dramatising them” (p. 27). Taylor (2000) suggests that “good story books
can be a powerful entry point into drama activity” (p. 8). For Saldaña (1995) the
use of “story drama, in which literature is used as the framework and springboard
for dramatic activities” is a way to explore multiethnic literature (p. xiii).
Table is on the next page.
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Table 2. Vignette of the drama classroom
Verbatim discussion between the reflective
practitioner and the drama students
Annotations:
significance of the
conversation
Patrizia: We are going to look at things, materials like
books, plays that relate to cultural diversity … people
who have used their own stories, like I did, I used my
own story and put it into a play and I toured it to
schools …
Sam: is it about your own personal experience?
Patrizia: yes, yeah it was autobiographical, the play
was about me growing up as an Italian-Australian and
… (student interrupts)
Alice: what part of Italy?
Patrizia: my father was born in … (Patrizia walks to
the whiteboard and draws an outline of Italy) can
everybody see … does anybody know what that island
is called … (Patrizia points to the south of the country)
Students: Sicily, Sicily, Sicily …
Patrizia: Yes, that’s right. My father was born in
Sicily, in a place called Messina, which is a city … he
migrated to Australia in the 1950s … seems like a long
time ago …
Sam: it really isn’t
Patrizia: the play was about my father, born in Italy,
he was a Carabiniere, does anyone know what a
Carabiniere is?
I spoke about myself
to the class and the
students engaged and
wanted to know more.
The students became
interested in my
personal story and
wanted me to further
discuss specific
details.
I wanted to reveal the
story of my father and
tell the class that my
parents were migrants
and explain to the
class how I connected
my personal story into
performance.
I introduced to the
class Italian words, an
intercultural exchange
of another language
took place.
73
C-A-R-A-B-I-N-I-E-R-E…
George: I’ve heard of it … but nah…
Patrizia: my father wore a feathered tall hat and a
uniform …
Alice: Police
Patrizia: Yes, part of my play was my dad’s
experience as a policeman in Italy … I was born in
Australia and grew up with parents who migrated to
Australia. I told my story in the play. The play was
called Dual Identity and if you like you can tell your
own story or stories of other’s in drama … that’s why
I’m excited to talk about cultural diversity and include
stories into drama … this relates well into the next
activity… (Sam interrupts)
Sam: um, my dad’s parents, my Nonna was born in
Sicily…
Patrizia: Wow, that’s interesting
(Patrizia raises the picture book entitled A Safe Place
to Live, written by Bic Walker in 2011 and displays it
to the class)
This story is about refugees. What is a refugee?
Nam: someone who is leaving their homeland
Bill: (Bill calls out in a loud voice) somebody …
somebody … somebody who’s leaving their home not
by will and is coming to a different place, because
there is a difference between asylum seekers and
refugee …
As a drama educator, I
discussed my personal
culturally diverse
story to the class and I
felt that this was well
received by the
students. They wanted
to know more about
my personal family
experiences. This also
revealed that for some
students this
generated discussion
about their own
culturally diverse
narratives.
After hearing my
personal story, Sam
responded and shared
his own personal
migration family story
to the class.
The students engaged
in the discussion
about the meaning of
refugees without fear
or failure. They
wanted to share their
own opinions about
refugees.
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Sam: Refuge is just a safe place … so a refugee is
someone who is seeking refuge, it doesn’t mean they
have to leave their country to seek refuge … if … if …
if it’s a rainy day and you want to get inside a shop
because it’s cold then you’re a refugee because you’re
seeking refuge
Nick: Well, then you’ll probably be kicked out of
Australia then
Sam: um, under UN law you are legally allowed to
take refuge
Nick: you research UN law
Alice: Eh, it’s pretty common knowledge that UN law
requires that … that there are at least humane
conditions for refugees, if like their imprisoned or
detained.
Sam: haven’t you read the news that Australia has
denied all allegations of …
Alice: (Alice interjects) What I’m saying is that
Australia is not bothering to follow those, I’m not
saying … that’s what’s supposed to happen, but I
mean like the UN policy is a nice idea but there’s only
so much it can do, it can make strident demands but it
can’t just like invade somebody if it does not like their
policies … there’s only so much the UN can do really.
Sam wanted to
express his thoughts.
Nick’s comment
identified that the
relationship between
refugees and Australia
is adverse.
Sam and Alice
responded with a
sense of hope and
humanity for the
plight of refugees.
An emotional and
tense exchange
occurred as the
students discussed the
concern for refugees.
The students linked
the topic of refugees
to the context of
Australia.
This exchange
revealed that students
in junior secondary
years are willing to
discuss and construct
their own meaning
concerning refugees.
(Transcription of class three and four, data: August)
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After the class discussion regarding refugees, I presented one photocopied page to
each student from the book A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011). I planned the
activity by asking each student to read one page aloud starting with page one. I
introduced the story with these comments;
Bic Walker is a refugee and an artist. She illustrated and wrote this book A
Safe Place to Live in 2011. Going around in a clockwise direction let’s
read one page at a time to the class.
(Transcription of class three and four, data: August).
Alice started to read the first page of the story and said “Once upon a time, my
family lived in a place that was unsafe. People were always fighting and there was
war everywhere. So we decided we must go on a journey to find a safer home to
live”. The students were engaged and read the refugee story with sensitivity and
compassion. Nam, who had an Asian background, read out his sentence, “Then a
large oil tanker came and rescued us … They gave us food and water and blankets
to keep us warm”. I became emotional. I found the words increased in meaning
when Nam read. He was not confident speaking the English language and he read
the words slowly. The other students and I gave Nam an opportunity to read
without any interruption or prejudice and this demonstrated that Nam, found
comfort to read slowly in his own voice, in his own accent.
Then Nick read the last line and said, “Finally, we were picked up and flew across
the world to a safe island called Australia. There was no fighting or war and we
were allowed to do what we wanted and go where we wanted. My brother flew
his kite high up in the sky. We were as free as the birds”. I realised, there was one
page at the back of the book that I did not photocopy and hand out. It had text and
a photo of the author and illustrator, Bic Walker, so I turned my book to the class
and read it aloud, “Bic Walker escaped with her family from Vietnam as a refugee
in 1979 when she was 3 years old. This is a true story based on her journey to
Australia”. I concluded with the last sentence, which was under the photo and said
“Picture taken at the refugee camp with her refugee number board”.
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As I continued to hold the page open, the students leaned forward and stared at
the black and white photo of Bic Walker. There was no comment or sound in the
drama room, it was silent. The students appeared captivated by the photo. Then
the students started to stretch their legs and arms. I observed Alice lie down and
stare at the ceiling. In that moment, I wondered what she was thinking, what were
her thoughts and feelings about the refugee story? This prompted me to ask the
class “what words come to mind about this refugee story?”. The students directly
responded and called out words; “refugee, boats, rice, death, sea water, rescue
boats, pirates, escape, oceans, sadness, memories”. I continued the questions and
asked “what are some good things coming out of the story”? The students called
out “freedom, no war, happiness, survival, flying a kite, free, free as a bird”. The
students were engaged and responded to my questions. I closed the book and said
“Why do you think refugees like Bic Walker want to tell their stories?” Sam, who
was sitting next to me, surveyed the class and said “to help spread awareness”.
This was a critical moment, that made me feel inspired and emotional. This
revealed that a young person like Sam, could announce to the class that stories by
and about refugees are important and should be of interest to us all. I took from
this that while our discussion focused on refugee stories it suggested that
Indigenous Australian stories should also be included in the drama curriculum as
a way to more fully understand and reflect upon the history of Australia.
After reading the story and asking questions, I observed the photocopied pages
had spread all around the students. I walked around and picked up the pages. This
was a gesture from me to offer care and respect to Bic Walker, her story and
refugees. As I collated all the pages, I asked the class to form groups to create
short performances from the story. There were only a few minutes before the
lesson ended. The reading of the book took longer than planned. I changed the
teaching instructions to the class. My words were rushed. “Okay you can do
statues, a chant, use the illustrations as a tableau, a mime of one minute using a
picture from the story, no sound, no words”. I had a sense of urgency. The lesson
was about to end. As the minutes passed I called out “Okay, let’s have a tableau in
one minute”. The students were moving around the class, some were laughing and
77
talking. I projected my voice and deepened my tone “Okay, I’m going to
countdown from 10 ready 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 … FREEZE.
Each group remained still. To view all the tableaux8, I stood back and swung my
body around. I observed a person holding a fishing rod, a boat, a child holding a
kite, a pirate, a person reaching out to hold another person and what appeared to
be the shape of Australia. This demonstrated that the students were able to recall
and represent a “distinctive image” from the picture book (Ewing, 2013, p. 28).
After the tableaux were presented, the students shook their bodies and walked
around the class. The drama teacher walked up to me and looked at her watch. I
felt the closure of the lesson was messy and unfinished. Through the chaos of
students exiting the room, I felt there was a positive energy that demonstrated
empathy and understanding about refugees. I smiled and waved goodbye. After
the class, I sat in a quiet location to reflect on the lesson, the participants, the
words, the discussions, my teaching, the learning, the brainstorming, the refugee
story and the tableaux. I typed up my fieldnotes, I read and re-read Sam’s words
“to help spread awareness”. I developed the following finding. The drama
students embodied the stories of refugees and the stories of our culturally diverse
selves “to help spread awareness” to build understanding, empathy and respect for
each other.
4.7. Ethnic identities in drama education
The culturally diverse participants in this project were a heterogeneous cohort.
This is supported in the knowledge that we all have complex culturally diverse
identities, as discussed in chapter one of this thesis. In the focus group interview
that involved five students, I provided opportunity to discuss ethnicity. I posed
this question to the focus group, “How would you describe your country of birth,
place of belonging, language, traditions, customs, ethnicity, nationality?”.
Analysis of the data revealed that the five students sitting in a small room were
8 In drama education, a ‘Tableau’ plural ‘Tableaux’ refers to “a moment from a drama
that has been created or frozen so that it can be examined closely … to illustrate a
particularly important moment in the drama (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 166).
78
interested and volunteered discussion regarding their ethnicity. A critical moment
occurred when they independently considered their culturally diverse self.
However, in the beginning there was hesitation. For instance, I asked for a
volunteer to start the discussion and posed “Anybody want to start”? The students
did not talk. I felt at this point, I had pressured them for a response. In the moment
I thought that a written response would be better and less confrontational. I
commenced the conversation and said the following:
I will start … I feel like I belong in Australia because I was born in
Australia but my parents were migrants, my father was born in Italy, my
mother was born in Egypt … and so people ask, so are you Italian? Are
you Australian? I say that I’m Australian and I have parents that were born
overseas. It’s my country of birth. I feel it is Australia because that is
where I was born.
(Focus group interview data: August)
As I was talking the students looked at me and became interested in my
discussion. This revealed they were interested in my ethnic identity. I felt that I
engaged the students through my own words and through my own personal
narrative. Sam was the first student to talk and said “I was born in Houston but
Australia is better”. In conversational tones there was an exchange of discussions
that revealed the following:
Bill: Even though I was born in Australia I feel a little bit more towards …
basically all my family are all from Russia, so I feel a bit more Russian
than Australian.
David: I feel I belong in Australia. My father migrated from Mauritius, I
feel like I belong because of all the music, parties and stuff.
Alice: I used to live in Ireland and whenever I hear Irish music I feel really
homesick.
George: My mum was born in Greece we have souvlakis and stuff. Greek
food is really good to eat. I find the history of Greece more interesting
than the history of France or something that I don’t have any links to [sic].
(Focus group interview data: August)
These discussions demonstrate that the students and me as a reflective
practitioner, trusted each other in sharing personal feelings, experiences and
79
thoughts about ourselves. For instance, the words conveyed a personal
perspective: “I feel … my family … my mum … my father migrated … I’m
Australian … my parents … I was born in Australia … Greek … Russian …
Mauritius … I feel really homesick”. This indicated that we all wanted to explore
and discuss our cultural pluralistic selves to each other. It also suggested that we
felt comfortable in each other’s company and that we trusted each other with
exploring our personal cultural narratives.
The focus group interview provided the students with a freedom to voice and
share their own words thus valuable data was generated. The data showed that the
students and me were keen to discuss our culturally diverse backgrounds. I felt
that in the beginning of the focus group interview, the students hesitated to start
with their own personal responses, but once they heard my thoughts it motivated
them to exchange and contribute conversation. For instance, David in the focus
group interview expressed that “a lot of my friends and neighbours are Greek and
Italian and I feel more connected to that even though I don’t have a connection to
that”. During the focus group interview, once the students started to discuss their
ethnic narratives, I decided it was best to listen and not to interrupt the sentences
or the flow of thoughts that were expressed. In that moment, I felt because the
words and feelings were personal, I wanted to offer my respect and trust to the
students and not interrupt or give back any judgment about their ethnic identity.
Because of this choice, I found the discussion deepened and further developed
without interruption from the teacher. Although, I did on occasion nod and smile
to reassure the students that I was listening and attentive to what was being said.
The significance of this exchange indicated to me that the students sought to
explain and understand their own ethnic identities within an Australian
contemporary context. The focus group interview concluded with the drama
students reflecting about the topic of cultural diversity and drama. The students
revealed the following:
Alice: I guess I haven’t seen drama doing anything like that, cultural thing.
Bill: I feel that cultural diversity is something that would come up in a
different subject like maybe History or English.
80
George: Drama is probably the least subject I would expect, because I
could see it in music, I can see it in art, but I would never had thought
drama.
(Focus group interview data: August)
As a reflective practitioner researcher and teacher, the unit of work was effective
in various ways. From a pedagogical perspective, the unit of work enabled me to
journey through personal and professional experiences that humanised the content
and context of my teaching practice. As a result of this, I feel the unit of work and
my pedagogical experiences could be an exemplar for other drama teachers to
further explore. For the drama students, the unit of work, from the very beginning
to the end, challenged them to think about cultural diversity through their personal
and culturally diverse experiences. Through the lens of a reflective practitioner, I
observed that the level of thinking and learning from student to student differed.
Thus, pedagogical guidance and understanding was required from lesson to
lesson. Across the varied activities offered in the unit of work, I feel satisfied that
every drama student was given an opportunity to contribute their own thoughts
and feelings about cultural diversity. The unit of work successfully moved
through learning and teaching modes that at times seemed original, chaotic,
confronting and challenging. This made researching the fields of cultural diversity
and drama education complex and compelling.
4.8. Conclusion
This chapter has demonstrated the complexities, sensitivities and challenges in
exploring the topic of cultural diversity and educational drama. It has revealed the
thoughts, experiences and practices of a culturally diverse drama teacher and
researcher through the lens of a reflective practitioner. As such, it illuminated the
experiences of drama students from pluralistic cultural backgrounds and their
understanding and exploration of cultural diversity. The next chapter will discuss
the findings of this study and address the research question in light of what
emerged.
81
CHAPTER FIVE – Findings and Conclusion
5.1. Introduction
This chapter draws together my research findings and concludes the qualitative
research project that I conducted. My research project involved a reflective
practitioner study (Schön, 1983) of an educational unit of work about cultural
diversity to a junior secondary drama class at a coeducational independent school
that investigated;
How can a unit of work on cultural diversity enhance understandings and
awareness about drama students from culturally diverse backgrounds in a junior
secondary drama class?
In this chapter, I weave relevant literature with significant data analysis. I then
revisit the central research question, offer recommendations for future studies and
identify the limitations of my study. In concluding remarks, I reflect on my
experiences of the research project.
5.2. Diverse ethnic identities
A key finding of this study is that the drama students identified and discussed
their own ethnic identities. This was evident in the focus group interview and in
the drama classes as the students revealed their own narratives about their ethnic
backgrounds. Situated in a safe environment and in conversational tones, the
drama students described in their own words their cultural backgrounds. As
described in Chapter Four, Sam, Bill, David, Alice and George revealed personal
narratives of themselves. For example, David expressed that he felt he belonged
in Australia and that his father migrated from Mauritius. George revealed that his
mother was born in Greece. This supports Fitzpatrick’s (2011) study that
examined the use of drama through the stories of children in New Zealand, that
revealed providing a safe space for children to talk about race, and explore and
make sense of their own emerging identities enabled others to understand
perspectives of diverse racial-ethnic groups (p. 101). This finding also correlates
with Ackroyd and Pilkington (1999) as they suggest that the ethnic identities of
82
young people is important to examine as “people do not have one fixed identity
but a range of cultural identities” (p. 448). This is further underpinned by
Wooding (2000) who claims that in a pluralist society … each of us contains
multiple cultures or identities” (p. 90). This finding is significant to drama
pedagogy and concurs with Grady (2000) who recommends that drama educators
should “actively involve young people in conversations about race and ethnicity”
(p. 35).
5.3. Trust in the drama classroom
This study found that trust facilitated the advancement of the unit of work
between the reflective practitioner, drama students and the drama teacher.
According to Nicholson (2002) “trust” is a key concept in drama education that
“can be identified through the public actions of the body – what participants’ say,
how they act towards others, and how they relate to each other physically within
the specific context of the drama itself” (p. 83). The data generated in the drama
classroom demonstrated that, trust was established during the unit of work. For
example, evidence of trust in action was demonstrated during the Name Game
activity, as described in the discussion chapter. This study, like Rivière’s (2006)
research project that investigated culturally diverse drama students, found that
earning the participants’ trust was important. Saldaña (1995) states that “building
trust in the classroom is an essential component of any teacher’s job” (p. 26).
Specific to drama education, Luhmann (cited in Nicholson, 2002) suggests that
“relationships of trust are required in order for students to become actively
involved in the drama and to accept new challenges” (p. 85). Trust, in this study
was important to develop, as the understanding of cultural diversity was complex
and open to sensitivity. As Nicholson (2002) suggests that “drama education
involves participants in the exploration of feelings and values which are both
personally felt and culturally grounded. In a pluralist society … the process of
working in drama may call into question diverse, and deeply felt, social and
cultural beliefs” (p. 90). The data revealed that the drama students confidently
conveyed their own thoughts and feelings about complex cultural issues regarding
83
refugees, multiculturalism and Indigeneity, that was built on the “important”
(Rivière’s, 2006, p. 11) and “essential” (Saldaña, 1995, p. 26) element of trust. It
is evident from the data generated in this study, that the unit of work successfully
advanced because of the developed trust between the reflective practitioner, the
drama students and the drama teacher.
5.4. Embodied learning about cultural diversity
A positive finding of this study was that embodied learning about cultural
diversity enabled the drama students to generate and express their own
contemporary meanings and understandings of themselves, others and of
Australia. This was demonstrated in Chapter Four, through the varied drama
based activities such as the migration scenes, in-role journal writing, drawings and
tableaux. In support of this finding, Donelan (2002a) suggests that “intercultural
drama curriculum can provide students with embodied, aesthetic experiences” (p.
37). This finding concurs with Saldaña (1995) who suggests that “drama can be
used as an art form and a method to provide each participant with personal insight
into the multiethnic world in which we live” (p. xii). The data revealed that
embodied learning about cultural diversity produced idiosyncratic responses in the
context of educational drama. For example, as discussed in Chapter Four, a drama
student expressed that they disliked exploring the topic of cultural diversity and
wrote “nothing to do with Drama e.g. a waste of time”. Relevant to this finding, is
that “there can be no singular approach to diversity in education – other than to
acknowledge that a class of 30 students will represent 30 distinct bodies of
knowledge, understandings, backgrounds, skills, experiences and insights [that]
presents both an opportunity and a challenge” (Raphael and Hunter, 2017, p. 251).
The implications of this finding suggests that drama can actively offer young
people a forum “to express and communicate many different stories and ways of
interpreting contemporary society” (Donelan, 2017, p. 45). The analysed data,
revealed that the drama students engaged with “dramatic form to explore, express
and embody their ideas in collaboration with others” to create their own meaning
of cultural diversity in the drama classroom (Bird, Donelan and Sinclair, 2017, p.
119). This finding concurs with Anderson (2012) who suggests that drama
84
educators should “reflect more upon the systemic dynamics of embodied
learning” for drama students (p. 86).
5.5. Stories from around the world
I found that stories about refugees can effectively engage drama students to
understand and enact people from diverse cultural backgrounds. As the data
revealed, the reading of the book A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011) was
significant and prompted interest and expression about refugees. This was evident
when I asked the drama class why refugees like Bic Walker want to tell their
stories? Sam, the drama student said to “help spread awareness”. The analysed
data revealed that the drama students developed understanding about the refugee
characters in the story. The data also identified that the drama students contributed
emotive and respectful discussion regarding the sensitive and contemporary topic
of refugees. This finding resonates with that of Simons (2000) who suggests that
“stories can connect us in metaphor to people around the world, in the past and in
the future, helping us to explore what it means to be human” (p. 25). In addition,
Cohen (2011) notes that “storytelling is the way the world’s history is revealed”
(p. 90).
As discussed in Chapter Four, the tableaux of the refugee story, demonstrated that
the drama students were willing to understand and enact the role of a refugee
character. This correlates with what Ewing and Simons (2004) affirm that
“walking in someone else’s shoes should be regarded as the essence of
educational drama” (p. 141). The use of tableau enabled the drama students to
focus on a “significant moment in time and to embody the action” of the refugee
narrative (Ewing and Saunders, 2016, p.47). The level of engagement shown by
the students during the reading and the drama activities concurs with Neelands
(2016) who says that “the empathy and willingness to listen to, understand and
work with points of view … different from one’s own position – is key to finding
the balance between freedom and restraint” (p. 33). Relevant to this finding was
that the unit of work offered “young people opportunities to build connections
with people’s stories and experiences, and to imagine, enact and examine the
85
world from different perspectives” (Donelan, 2017, p. 43). In support of this
finding, Sinclair and Donelan (2017) contend that “drama provides a space in the
curriculum for young people to imagine and actively engage with human
experiences from the past, present and future. It is a place for exploring and
remaking old stories and embodying new ones” (p. 107).
5.6. Revisiting the central research question
The central research question of this study was: How can a unit of work on
cultural diversity enhance understandings and awareness about drama students
from culturally diverse backgrounds in a junior secondary drama class?
In summary, the key findings of this study revealed that:
The drama students identified and discussed their own ethnic identities;
Trust facilitated the advancement of the unit of work between the
reflective practitioner researcher and teacher, drama students and drama
teacher;
Embodied learning about cultural diversity enabled the drama students to
generate and express their own contemporary meanings and
understandings of themselves, others and of Australia; and
Stories about refugees can effectively engage drama students to
understand and enact people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
These findings substantiate and extend current knowledge in the field of cultural
diversity and drama education. For instance, literature in previous chapters of this
study, highlight that drama students identify and discuss their own ethnic
identities (Ackroyd and Pilkington, 1999; Fitzpatrick, 2011; Grady, 2000) as
classrooms around the world become increasingly culturally diverse (Banks,
2011; Mansouri and Arber; 2017; Santoro, 2017). Furthermore, relationships of
trust in drama education, as identified by Luhmann (cited in Nicholson, 2002) and
Nicholson (2002) underpins the finding that revealed trust facilitated the
advancement of the unit of work. Current documents, for example the Australian
Curriculum (2018) and Drama Australia Equity and Diversity Guidelines for
86
Drama Education (2015), along with previous studies (Balfour et al, 2015;
Donelan, 2005; Kelman, 2009) affirm intercultural understanding and awareness
in drama education. This supports embodied learning approaches concerning
cultural diversity and adds new perspectives for future drama practice. Existing
knowledge in the field of drama education, identify that storybooks launch drama
activities (Booth, 1994; Ewing, 2013; Saldaña, 1995; Simons, 2000; Taylor,
2000). Thus, stories about refugees can be effective and engage drama students to
understand and enact people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The placement of
these findings in the fields of cultural diversity and drama education suggests
there are similarities to existing literature and reinforces previous, current and
future thinking.
5.7. Recommendations for future research and limitations
In view of my study, the findings point to a need for further research into the
experiences about drama students from culturally diverse backgrounds. Further
investigation into the narratives and identities of drama students from diverse
ethnic backgrounds is compelling. As identified in the review of literature, as
Australian schools become increasingly globalised, the scope for further studies
that investigates pedagogical, curriculum and learning processes in drama
education is pressing. This thesis has generated the following key questions for
further research that proposes:
1. How can Australian drama educators effectively teach students from
culturally diverse backgrounds?
2. What culturally diverse resources exist for drama educators?
3. How can culturally diverse students explore their own narratives,
languages, ethnicities and intercultural values in drama and performance?
4. In what ways are intercultural experiences occurring in educational drama?
5. How do culturally pluralistic drama educators explore their own
backgrounds?
87
This was a small-scale study, with limitations in study design, word length, level
of analysis and limited to one school site. The study recommends that a bigger
scale study of the same educational unit of work could be taught to multiple
schools across Independent, Government and Catholic sectors across various
localities in Victoria. A bigger scale study could also collect, compare and analyse
data from a range of secondary school year levels. I believe this study has
activated significant meaning in the fields of cultural diversity and drama
education. For a future study, my unit of work about cultural diversity could be
given to other drama teachers to teach in their own drama classrooms, and to
examine what it would be like when the drama teacher of the school teaches the
unit of work.
5.8. Concluding remarks
The central argument developed through this study was that an educational unit of
work about cultural diversity alongside the field of drama education produced
embodied learning and enhanced culturally diverse young people in Australia,
with an awareness to generate their own meanings, histories and stories of
themselves and of others. While it was acknowledged that the researched cohort
comprised of three females and 16 males, for this particular project it did not
appear that gender had an influence on the results. From a pedagogical
perspective, I found that the drama unit of work on the topic of cultural diversity
was successful as the aims were achieved. It was also successful for the drama
students as they engaged in the making, sharing and observing of their own
drama. From Mary’s perspective, the unit was relevant, however, it demonstrated
that as educators our pedagogical perspectives are unique to ourselves and to the
student’s we teach. Our culturally diverse narratives as educators are idiosyncratic
and this to me was critical and empowering. This study has privileged the drama
students, drama staff and me as a researcher and drama teacher with opportunities
to explore and understand our voices, our culturally diverse selves, our thoughts
and our experiences in educational drama.
88
I have reflected on all the experiences and achievements that have taken place
during my research project and discovered, that like my grandparents and parents
who had traversed the seas from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Egypt, I too have
traversed my own culturally diverse journey. Through my own cultural heritage,
my Australian journey, encountered a group of hybrid explorers that included a
drama teacher and 19 young people. Together we navigated from context to
context and explored, discovered, created and performed. With no map, no
destination and no “theatre, or elaborate sets, or props, or even many special
skills” our culturally diverse journey was “fun [and offered] purposeful and
meaningful learning” that we embodied and enjoyed, in each other’s company
(O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 3). I hope there are further culturally diverse
journeys that I encounter and navigate sometime soon.
89
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Appendices
APPENDIX 1: Parent/Student plain language statement
[insert date here]
Dear Parent/Student,
I am enrolled in a Master of Education by Research program with the Melbourne
Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at The University of Melbourne. This
involves doing a research project under the supervision of MGSE staff Dr
Christine Sinclair and Dr Richard Sallis. It is my aim to conduct the research
project in your school, with your class. This research project has received
clearance from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) at The University
of Melbourne.
The project is called Cultural diversity and drama education within an Australian
context. The approach to research that I’m using is called qualitative research.
This involves taking notes and reflecting on it afterwards. One of the most
important ways of understanding how cultural diversity and drama education
relate, is to observe how students think and respond to the activities I’ve planned
and try to discover more about what the students think about cultural diversity in
class.
If you agree to participate in the research, I will ask you to:
(1) be included in observations of classroom activities recorded in my journal;
(2) be invited to be interviewed as part of a focus group with five students in the
group
(3) provide a sample of written or practical work produced in the lessons. This
would only be work that is not being assessed.
As you are one of the students in the class where this research project will take
place I am inviting you to participate in this project. On the other hand, you may
choose to not participate in the research. If this is the case, you will still be
involved in all classroom activities, but I will not be making reference to your
participation or class work in my journal, or asking you to participate in an
interview. There will be no adverse consequences for any student who chooses
not to participate in the research. Also, if you do agree to participate, you have the
option to withdraw from the project at any time up until I start to analyse the data
I collect.
Once you have read this letter with your parent/guardian, could you please sign
the attached Parent/Student Consent Form indicating if you would like to take part
in the research or not, and then return it to me.
To assist you and your parents in making a decision about your participation in
the research or not, here is some more information about the project.
106
What will happen in the classes?
I will plan and teach at least two lessons a week in your drama class across four
weeks that focuses on cultural diversity. The researcher will introduce and discuss
literature, including plays and books about cultural diversity and brainstorm issues
about Australia’s culturally diverse communities. The researcher will ask students
to volunteer using drama-based activities their own culturally diverse stories or
recount stories of others as they wish. The manner in which the stories are sought
will be discussed with the classroom teacher to ensure that the method is
appropriate for the particular class members.
In this research project the researcher hopes to better understand the experiences
of students from culturally diverse backgrounds within the drama curriculum and
how they connect their understanding of cultural diversity in the drama classroom.
While I’m teaching the lessons, I’m also reflecting on my teaching of the lessons
and reflecting on it afterwards, to get a better understanding of how cultural
diversity and drama education relate in the curriculum.
What will the student be asked to do if she/he agrees to participate? If you agree to participate, in addition to being included in the classroom
observations, you may be asked to take part in a focus group interview for 30
minutes at the conclusion of the 8 lessons. This will take place during class time.
The researcher will be audio-taping the interview and then transcribing it to have
an accurate record of what was said. Students in the research will be invited to
provide the researcher with a piece of written or practical work that was created
during the lessons, to be included in the researchers’ reflective journal. This will
not be work that is to be used for assessment.
What will the researcher be responsible for? Anything you tell to the researcher and share in the research project will be dealt
with sensitively and respectfully at all times. The researcher is working under the
supervision of experienced researchers at The University of Melbourne and they
are considered to be part of the team conducting this research. All of the
participants in my research will be given a different name to disguise their real
identities in my research report and any future publications or conference
presentations produced from this research. Due to the small sample size involving
one class of students at this school, there may be implications for protecting the
identity of the participants.
The welfare of the participants taking part in this study is important as this study
explores sensitive topics and any possible risks will be addressed. If, while
participating in this project, you or your parents have any concerns or questions,
or experience any difficulties, please contact me
([email protected]) or the school (include the name of a senior
member of teaching staff at the school here) and arrangements will be made for
de-briefing or follow-up to ensure your well-being. Please remember that all
participants can withdraw from the project at any time up to the point of data
analysis and can also opt out of particular activities or choose not to answer
interview questions as they wish.
107
Your parents can also contact one of my research supervisors (Dr Richard Sallis,
[email protected], 8344 8799 or Dr Christine Sinclair, [email protected],
8344 0337) at The University of Melbourne.
When the project is completed, the information I’ve collected will be held in a
secure location in the MGSE at The University of Melbourne for a period of five
years. After that it will be destroyed according to the requirements of the
University of Melbourne Policy on the Management of Research Data and
Records.
If you require any assistance with translation or interpreter services, you can
access immediate telephone interpreters through TIS National by calling 131 450.
This service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
What you tell and show the researchers will be in confidence and will not be
passed on to anyone else, subject to legal limitations.
What are the benefits of doing this project? The research team are all confident that this project will add to current
understandings of innovative ways to teach drama in culturally diverse school
settings and will assist me in my understanding of my own teaching practice. It
has the potential to be of benefit to many people and places connected with
education, including your school. Your involvement in this project will contribute
in a real way to its outcomes.
Upon completion of the research project a summary of results and the thesis will
be offered to the school.
If you have any questions about this research project, you should discuss them
with your parent/guardian. If they need more information they can contact the
Manager, Human Research Ethics, The University of Melbourne, ph: 8344 2073;
fax 93476739.
They can also contact me personally at [email protected]
It would be appreciated if you and your parent/ guardian could please read and
complete the attached consent form and return it to me at the school office at your
earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Patrizia Ferrara
108
APPENDIX 2: Parent/Student Consent Form
Project title: Cultural Diversity and drama education within an Australian
context
Researchers: Patrizia Ferrara
My daughter/son (please insert the name of your daughter/son here)
_________________________________________________ and I have read the
attached letter inviting her/him to participate in the research project to be
conducted at my child’s school [insert name of school here] and understand and
accept the following:
● that her/his participation in the project is voluntary and that she/he has the
right to withdraw at any stage and to withdraw any data she/he has
supplied (up to the point of analysis)
● that she/he is to be observed in the class taken by Patrizia Ferrara during
the unit of work, Cultural diversity and drama, and these classes will be
audio-taped and transcribed, as identified in the attached letter
● that she/he may be asked to take part in a 30-minute interview and that
these sessions will be audio taped and subsequently transcribed
● that a sample of her/his non-assessable work generated during the lessons
may be included in the research data
● that my child will continue to take part in all class activities regardless of
whether she/he and I decide that she/he will not participate in the research
project and that no notes of my child’s involvement in the class will be
recorded if she/he chooses not to participate in the research
● that a pseudonym will be used to protect the identity of the school and my
daughter/son in any publications or reports arising out of the research
● I have been informed that the number of people participating is quite small
and it is quite possible that someone may identify participants.
● that we are satisfied with the legal limitations of confidentiality, the level
of confidentially of the information and the procedure for safeguarding it
● that all data collected will be stored securely for five years at The
University of Melbourne and then destroyed in accordance with The
University of Melbourne Policy on the Management of Research Data and
Records
● that steps have been put in place by the researchers to safeguard the
welfare of the students taking part
● If the student chooses to withdraw from the research any unprocessed data
will not be used.
I do/do not give permission for my son/daughter to participate in the research
project titled Cultural Diversity and drama education within an Australian
context.
109
Signed (parent or guardian)
______________________________________________
I do/do not agree to participate in the Research project titled Cultural diversity
and drama education within an Australian context.
Signed (student who will be a participant in the project)
________________________
Date:
If you require any assistance with translation or interpreter services, you can
access immediate telephone interpreters through TIS National by calling 131 450.
This service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
110
APPENDIX 3: Focus Group Interview Sample Questions
1. How would you describe your
- place of birth / place of belonging
- language
- traditions/customs
- food
- art forms (dance, drama, music, books, art) and history.
2. What do you think about Drama as a subject?
3. Explain what the words 'cultural diversity' mean to you, in terms of your ethnic
culture?
4. What was the last activity that you attended or participated in that related to
your ethnic culture? (For example; festivals, plays, concerts, social gatherings)
5. Think back on all the lessons we did in the unit of work I taught;
- what is the absolute highlight for you – your favourite moment. Can you
describe it?
- what was your least favourite moment or activity?
6. How do you think the topic of cultural diversity in drama improved your
understanding/enjoyment/engagement with your ethnic culture or/and the ethnic
culture of others?
7. On a daily basis (at school, home, with friends) how aware are you of your own
ethnic culture? (background/heritage) How aware are you of others?
8. How could you or other students connect your/their ethnic culture in the drama
classroom?
111
APPENDIX 4: Drama teacher Interview Sample Questions
1. Explain what the words 'cultural diversity' mean to you in terms of ethnic
culture?
2. What does your drama class do to respect cultural diversity and promote equity
and tolerance?
3. On a daily basis (at work, home, with friends) how aware are you of your own
ethnic culture (background/heritage)? How aware are you of others?
4. How do you select your drama resources (scripts, literature, music) to teach to
the class?
5. In the unit of work I taught,
- What is the absolute highlight for you – your favourite moment? Can you
describe it?
- What was your least favourite moment or activity?
6. How do you think the topic of cultural diversity in drama improved your
understanding/enjoyment/engagement with your ethnic culture or/and the ethnic
culture of others?
7. How do you implement cultural and linguistic diversity into your drama
teaching and curriculum?
8. How do you engage the culturally diverse stories and voices of the students in
the drama class?
112
APPENDIX 5: Unit of Work: Cultural Diversity and drama
Lesson 1 and 2
Unit of work aim: Introduce, explore and understand the topic of cultural
diversity by “making (creating, forming, pretending, directing, designing) drama;
sharing (performing, presenting, acting, showing) drama; and observing
(watching, reflecting, responding, critiquing) drama” (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002,
p. 3).
Unit of Work question: How effective is the unit of work for young people from
culturally diverse backgrounds in educational drama?
Teaching Resources: Drama and Diversity: A pluralistic perspective for
educational drama - Drama-related writing and drawing to explore the issue of
cultural diversity (Grady, 2000, p. 162).
Games for Actors and Non Actors (Boal, 1992, p. 99).
Materials: Coloured markers and large white sheets of paper.
Questions and phrases to prompt student discussion:
What does cultural diversity mean to you?
Culturally diverse backgrounds, multiculturalism, ethnicity
Focus
To introduce, discuss, brainstorm and express the topic of cultural diversity in the
drama classroom;
To explore culturally diverse themes; refugees, belonging, identity, language and
respect.
Warm up games
Physical activities standing in a circle: Neutral position, spinal rolls
counting 1-10;
The ‘Heee’ game;
Two by Three by Bradford game (Boal, 1992)
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Class Activities
Brainstorm the topic of cultural diversity with the drama class. In groups
of four, hand out poster paper and coloured markers. Drama students
encouraged to write down words, stick figures, pictures to define and
discuss the term cultural diversity;
Choose one or two people to report back to the class about their group
ideas of the cultural diversity brainstorm ideas.
Lesson 3 and 4
Focus
To extend the discussion of cultural diversity.
Migrant scenes: handout scene, improvisations and performances.
Discuss what it would be like to come to Australia from another country?
For example; discuss reasons why migrants and refugees leave their homelands,
for example; because of natural disasters, a better life, war/conflict, reunion,
love/marriage, job opportunities, climate and/or freedom;
Explore the significance of cultural objects.
Refugee stories; Storydrama (Booth, 1994) - use as stimulus material and a
starting point to launch into the drama activities (Ewing, 2013; Saldana, 1995;
Taylor, 2000). Explore and read with the class culturally diverse story books; The
Little Refugee by Anh Do & Suzanne Do (2011) and A Safe Place to Live written
and illustrated by Bic Walker (2011).
Explore drama conventions; improvisation, tableau, hot-seat, postcards, ritual and
soundscape (Pretending to Learn, O’Toole and Dunn, 2002)
Class Activities
Migration scenes, hand out sheets with scene of a migrant and the passport
officer as characters. Drama students to devise an improvisation based on
two characters, a migrant and a passport officer. Ask drama students to
perform scenes to the class.
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After the migration performance, drama students complete “in-role
writing” (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, p. 23-24) journal entry. Collect journal
reflections at the end of class.
Display culturally diverse objects in the suitcase. Drama students to look
at them and discuss what they see.
Hand out sheet What’s in the Suitcase related to culturally diverse objects;
drama students choose two or three objects and discuss where they might
have come from and who they might belong to. Drama students spend
time looking at chosen objects and fill out the sheet What’s in the Suitcase.
In groups, perform a short improvisation with the cultural objects as
stimulus material.
Discuss with the class; What/Who is a refugee?
As a class, read the story of The Little Refugee by Anh Do & Suzanne Do
(2011). Discuss the illustrations by Bruce Whatley from The Little Refugee
and explore the themes from the story.
Read the story of A Safe Place to Live written and illustrated by Bic
Walker (2011), then discuss the refugee themes and topics from the book.
Hand out excerpts of the story to every drama student in the sequence
from the start to the end of the book;
Use the stories to launch into drama activities. Drama students to work in
groups and to devise a performance using drama elements; tableau,
moving image and/or chant; use words and phrases in the story. Perform to
the class.
Reflection
Summarise in discussion how the cultural objects were put into performance and
explain the meaning created out of the object/props in a creative performance.
Reaffirm the work of the drama students and summarise the topics introduced of
migrants, refugees and cultural objects.
Drama students to reflect and respond to the story and performances based on the
book The Little Refugee (Do & Do, 2011) and A Safe Place to Live (Walker,
2011).
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Lesson 5 and 6
Focus
To discuss themes related to cultural diversity; leaving, culture, ritual and cultural
spaces.
Warm Up
Class stand in a circle, play game What are you doing?
Standing in a circle, pass the object of a plastic bottle to the next person.
Use your imagination and with mime actions, transform the bottle into
another object.
Drama students asked to walk around the room, teacher calls out random
numbers for students to form groups of 2, 4, 5…students walk around the
room in slow and fast motion.
Class Activities
Inventing the space in a room; Games for Actors and Non-Actors (Boal,
1992, p. 150). Explain to drama students using 6 chairs and 1 table,
students create a cultural environment in the drama room – a church, a
house, the museum of the world, etc.
Teacher in Role (O’Toole and Dunn, 2002, pp. 8-9). A worker of the
museum of the world walks around the museum of the world and taps each
tableau to talk.
Have two drama students sit back to back on the floor, looking away from
each other. Ask drama students to comment on meanings about the image
presented. Then, ask drama students to challenge themselves physically
and from this position to stand up together. In this back to back position,
drama students to push up to a standing position. Form pairs and ask
students to try this physical activity. Students in pairs talk to each other to
move from being in a sitting to a standing position.
The theme of Leaving is explored. Give out the hand out sheet Leaving.
Arrange drama students in groups of four. Each character has a line from
the poem Leaving given out. Students to improvise and perform the topic
of Leaving. Small instruments given out ukulele, shakers, triangle, etc. that
116
can be used in performance. Create a soundscape (O’Toole and Dunn,
2002, p. 171). Perform soundscape as a class.
Brainstorm the word ‘culture’ on the whiteboard and write down words
generated from the drama students. Students to discuss what culture means
in groups. Choose three items from the whiteboard and discuss these in
detail. Students encouraged to put these in dramatic form.
Lesson 7 and 8
Focus
To extend the discussion from last class and explore the understanding of what
culture means, for example: language, customs, music, country.
Warm Up
Chair game – give each drama student a country name, for example, Italy,
Australia, Greece, England then repeat and call out the country name.
Those in the same country move to swap chairs.
Class Activities
In groups of four, choose four elements of a cultural community, taken
from the list of words that were discussed; language, music, customs,
rituals, costumes, chanting, etc. Teacher provides costumes that drama
students can use in performance. Groups devise their own cultural
performance to perform to the rest of the class.
Groups to share their performances to the class. After each performance,
discuss the characters, situation, attitudes about others, and where these
attitudes might come from (Grady, 2000, p. 41).
Summarise and finalise the unit of work, Cultural Diversity and drama,
from previous lessons.
Conclude unit of work with a positive approach. Thank the drama students
and share my own thoughts as a drama teacher and researcher. Conclude
by asking drama students if they have questions.
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APPENDIX 6: Excerpt of A Safe Place to Live (Walker, 2011)
118
APPENDIX 7: Excerpt of The Little Refugee (Do & Do, 2011)
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Minerva Access is the Institutional Repository of The University of Melbourne
Author/s:
Ferrara, Patrizia Giovanna
Title:
Cultural diversity and drama education within an Australian context
Date:
2019
Persistent Link:
http://hdl.handle.net/11343/225015
File Description:
Thesis
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